Double Up Food Bucks NY

Origins:

In February 2025, Market 32 and Price Chopper introduced Field & Fork Network’s innovative nutrition incentive program, Double Up Food Bucks NY (DUFBNY), to select locations in the counties of Onondaga, NY, and Schenectady, NY. DUFBNY provides customers with an automatic dollar-for-dollar match on purchases of fresh produce, up to $20 a day, when using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

DUFBNY is a free resource for anyone receiving SNAP benefits, which helps them bring home more of the fresh fruits and vegetables necessary to maintain a balanced, nutritious diet. SNAP is utilized by approximately 67,000 individuals and 37,000 households in Onondaga County, and approximately 21,000 individuals in 12,000 households in Schenectady County. By investing in the infrastructure to offer DUFBNY, Market 32/Price Chopper is providing a valuable new solution to the most vulnerable customers facing pressures to stretch their dollars at the grocery store. The Double Up Food Bucks program was recently expanded and is now available in 33 stores.

Contribution:

DUFBNY relies on the participation of local fresh produce providers and grocers to deliver the program at scale. To remove potential barriers and make benefiting from DUFBNY as easy as possible, the dollar-for-dollar match is automatically distributed via a coupon at the register when an EBT card is used, without requiring additional information or sign-up.

Federal and local grants, along with matching New York State funding, facilitated the expansion of DUFBNY to Market 32 and Price Chopper stores. Market 32 and Price Chopper leadership advocated through writing letters of support to policymakers, lobbying lawmakers, and soliciting program expansion recommendations from the New York State Council on Hunger and Food Policy.

Market 32 and Price Chopper provided IT support to bring the program to fruition through the Catalina printers, as well as teammate training, internal communication, in-store messaging, including signing and video screens, and targeted social media and email communication.

Objectives:

The Double Up Food Bucks NY program empowers SNAP shoppers to stretch their food budgets by matching every dollar spent on fresh fruits and vegetables with additional dollars to purchase more produce. By making nutritious food more affordable, Market 32 and Price Chopper partnership with DUFBNY supports healthier eating habits and contributes to local economies by directing more spending on healthy food.

Impact:

DUFBNY demonstrates how nutrition priorities are being implemented at scale through strategic state and retail alignment. Since launching in Market 32 and Price Chopper stores in February, the DUFBNY footprint has grown from 7 stores to 33 stores.

82,000 dollar-for-dollar match coupons have been provided to customers, and growth in coupons spent month over month has averaged 25-30%. DUFBNY generates local economic impact, benefiting NY farmers and regional supply chains while incentivizing SNAP users to make healthier food choices and doubling their buying power. With continued expansion, the partnership is expected to drive even greater impact.

Quote:

Our collaboration with Field & Fork Network and the introduction of Double Up Food Bucks NY is a vital supplement to our ongoing efforts to help ensure nutrition security in the neighborhoods we serve. Matching fresh produce purchases dollar-for-dollar will help reduce financial stress for our SNAP customers while empowering them to make smart food buying decisions that nourish their lives.

– Blaine Bringhurst, president of Market32 and Price Chopper.

Support Statement:

Market 32 and Price Chopper have demonstrated what’s possible when a grocery retailer treats food access as a long-term commitment, not a one-time campaign. With a deep focus on reducing food insecurity, especially in underserved rural areas of New York State, they’ve brought Double Up Food Bucks NY to tens of thousands of SNAP shoppers in remote communities. Their investment in seamless point-of-sale integration and direct, awareness-building outreach to SNAP shoppers reflects a strong understanding that equitable access to healthy food must be built into the shopping experience itself. We’re proud to partner with a retailer that doesn’t just support hunger relief, they actively drive local economic growth by boosting fresh produce sales and circulating food dollars back to regional growers. Market 32 and Price Chopper are setting the standard for what retail-led food access solutions can look like when aligned with mission, policy, and scale.

– Field and Fork Network