SNAP-Ed Food Systems District Coordinators Focus on Policy, System, and Environmental Changes to Support SNAP-eligible Residents in Florida

The Florida Family Nutrition Program (FNP) is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed). In Florida, 3.7 million people received SNAP benefits while an additional 3.3 million people in Florida are estimated to have an income less than 200% of the poverty level. The overall goal of FNP is to reach all family members with a consistent nutrition message of eating for a healthy life. The Farm to School, Farm to Community (F2SC) team supported the programmatic goals of the UF/IFAS Family Nutrition Program (FNP) by proactively expanding FNP’s policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) scopes of work. This is the first year the Florida SNAP-Ed program hired a specialized team, the F2SC team, to implement PSE work. The F2SC team worked integrally with university faculty, school districts, farmers, community partners, and state and federal agencies throughout the state. By the end of the first year, the F2SC team trained 727 teachers, school food purchasers, school food service employees, FNP employees, and farmers on best management practices in 28 direct education training events across the state. Over 100 gardens were installed and maintained with 4,209 beneficiaries (including students and SNAP-eligible community residents) enjoying 80,811 active hours in the gardens. Produce was enjoyed as taste tests, in cafeteria lunches, and taken home to be eating with the family. Over 880 (21%) of the schools in Florida purchased food from Florida farmers as a result of direct actions made by the F2SC team. The F2SC team reported direct contact with 858 stakeholders, of which 6% were farmers, and provided service and capacity building to the community. Team members were invited or volunteered to serve on 12 standing food policy, wellness, and food systems committees, worked with 102 individual collaborators and solicited 119 volunteers to provide services valued at $4,942. All PSE work conducted by this team is associated with direct nutrition education provided by FNP program assistants and Extension faculty.