Food Is Medicine—But Many Minnesotans Can’t Afford It 

Customers purchase locally grown produce from The Food Group staff farm Mhonpag’s Garden at Mill City Farmer’s Market in Minneapolis

Everyone deserves access to nutritious, culturally connected food, no matter where they live. Research shows that good nutrition leads to better lifelong health outcomes, including lower rates of chronic disease and lower lifetime healthcare costs, roughly $1,800 less a year. Access to nutritious food in childhood also leads to better long-term education and career outcomes.

Keeping Healthy Food Affordable

With the rising cost of gas, rent, and groceries, nutritious food has become hard for many families to afford. At The Food Group, we consistently hear requests from community members for more fresh, local food. While these food items are often most in demand, they are also the highest ticket items in a grocery cart. Many families find there’s just no room on a tight budget for the food they want to purchase for their family.

Tamara’s family members have unique health challenges with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes and celiac disease. Each condition requires a specific diet, and many of those foods are costly. Tamara and her family rely on Market Bucks to get through the month and access lean proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables, and celiac-safe food products.

Food is medicine for my family. Without Market Bucks, we wouldn’t be able to afford as much of the food we need for our health.

Tamara, Market Bucks Participant

Grocery assistance programs like Market Bucks are essential for food-insecure households, especially in rural and urban communities without easy grocery access. The program continues to expand each year.  

In the last five years, the number of Produce Bucks redemptions has nearly tripled at Mill City Farmers Market, demonstrating an increasing community need for access to fresh food. Produce Bucks makes farm-fresh, locally grown produce more affordable for low-income community members, putting meals on the table for those who need it most.

Ella Daniels, Executive Director of Mill City Farmers Market

A Partner Steps Up for Nutrition Access 

It’s been a tumultuous time for Minnesota families with cuts to SNAP, benefit delays, and Operation Metro Surge all impacting food access in the past twelve months. The Food Group is committed to protecting and expanding access to nutritious, local food through programs like Market Bucks. In uncertain times, partners like Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota have been instrumental in that effort.

This past August, food-insecure Minnesotans would have faced another disruption in food access with funding for the program set to expire. The end of this program would have been a huge blow to our community. Both farmers and SNAP customers count on it, and September and October are peak months for redemption at the height of the Minnesota harvest season.

Blue Cross was proud to support Market Bucks and partner with The Food Group to increase access to healthy and locally grown food. Market Bucks helps make healthy eating possible, especially for those facing the greatest barriers to good health in our state.

Bukata Hayes, Chief Community Health Officer at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota

Reducing Barriers and Stimulating Economies

The Minnesota Farmers’ Market Association is proud to see how these programs increase participation across 402 farmers’ markets statewide—102 of which now accept SNAP—making fresh, local produce more affordable for everyone. Together, SNAP, Market Bucks, and Produce Bucks have circulated over $1.1 million back into Minnesota communities, strengthening small businesses, supporting farmers, and growing local economies.

The Minnesota Farmers’ Market Association

Market Bucks is a critical tool in the fight to break down longtime barriers to food access and keep healthy food affordable for food-insecure Minnesotans.

Everybody wins with Market Bucks. The program creates more short-term food security for families, improves markets for farmers, and promotes better health outcomes.

Sophia Lenarz-Coy, Executive Director of The Food Group

Through Market Bucks, we’re providing nutritious, local food for today and creating a stronger food system for tomorrow.

Photos courtesy of Mill City Farmer’s Market