Author: Nico Boyd

Northeast Ohio Food Trade Show Plans are Underway

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Cuyahoga County has received much attention in recent years for the work being done to address food insecurity in low-income urban communities. Think of programs like Produce Perks, which provides a financial incentive for SNAP recipients who shop at farmers markets, or the Summer Sprout Community Gardening Program, which provides free support and technical assistance to over 200 community gardens in the City of Cleveland.  Ensuring that all residents in Cuyahoga County have access to fresh, affordable and nutritious food is one of the centerpieces of our work in Northeast Ohio and has been the driving force behind some of our most successful programs to date.

Food Cluster Cover - 2014-09-25The issue of Food Access, however, is just one facet of the ever-evolving conversation around local food in our region. In 2014, OSU Extension, Cuyahoga County partnered with Bush Consulting Group, The City of Cleveland Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Food Policy Coalition to develop a sustainable food cluster roadmap in Cuyahoga County with a core objective to increase regional jobs, revenue and sustainability by supporting local food and beverage businesses. Published last May, the roadmap identifies a number of market opportunities and provides specific strategies to boost regional strength and competitiveness across the food sector, including the establishment of a Northeast Ohio Food Trade Show. This event will connect regional food and beverage producers with potential customers. As OSU Extension’s Cuyahoga County office begins to broaden the scope of its community and economic development work, preliminary planning has begun to develop such an event.

Beginning with an assessment of current strengths and resource needs, OSU Extension has hired Muse Content Group, a local expert firm in market research, to develop a business model canvas that will inform our planning efforts and provide a blueprint as we move forward with this project. Following delivery of the canvas in late August, subsequent collaborative planning and development is slated to begin. Stay tuned!

(Submitted by Nico Boyd, Program Coordinator, Cuyahoga County & Western Reserve EERA)

More healthful foods through Cuyahoga County’s “Double Value Produce Perks” program

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Accessible and affordable healthful foods are a critical first step in good nutrition. To help make locally produced foods available to underserved communities in Cuyahoga County, a “Double Value Produce Perks” (Produce Perks) initiative was developed by the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Food Policy Coalition. The coalition, initiated by OSU Extension and Case Western Reserve University, sponsored a program that offered incentive dollars to customers that used an Ohio Direction Card to purchase food.

Produce Perks Tokens

Photo credit: Amy Thompson

Last year, this program involved 18 farmers’ markets and two farm stands throughout Cuyahoga County and it worked like this:

A customer wishing to use their food assistance benefits could swipe their Ohio Direction Card at a central terminal, located at any of the 20 participating locations’ information booths, and ask to withdraw a desired amount. The market or farm stand would then provide tokens for the transaction in addition to Produce Perks that could be spent on fruits and vegetables. The incentive was a dollar-for-dollar match on every dollar spent (up to $10) using an Ohio Direction Card.

Program highlights from 2014 show promise for continued expansion into 2015. For example:

  • The Double Value Produce Perks EBT Incentive program grew to 20 farmers’ markets and farm stands.
  • One hundred eighty women and their families redeemed $3,920 in vouchers, enabling them to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables.
  • EBT sales surpassed 2013 totals, reaching over $39,000.
  • Additionally, Produce Perks brought 260 new food assistance customers to farmers’ markets for the first time.
  • A new aspect of Produce Perks, the Produce Prescription program, was expanded to connect mothers and pregnant women to local farmers’ markets.

For more information on this program or to learn more about initiating a local food policy coalition, please contact Nico Boyd or go to cccfoodpolicy.org/.

 

(Submitted by Nico Boyd, Program Coordinator, Cuyahoga County & Western Reserve EERA)