The National Grocers Association Foundation Technical Assistance Center has partnered with Three Guys from Brooklyn, an independent grocery store in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York, to create testimonial and informational videos highlighting the store’s positive experience with administering a nutrition incentive program.
Three Guys from Brooklyn has been running a program called “Get the Good Stuff” through a partnership with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene for more than a year and has found it to be highly beneficial to its community members.
“We’re very reliant on our community; it’s a big part of our business model,” said Phil Penta,
co-owner and operator of Three Guys from Brooklyn. “So, anything we can do to get more healthy options in their hands for cheaper, we’re always interested in that. This program felt like good a fit, and I think that’s why we’ve seen success with it.”
While nutrition incentive programs are beneficial to customers, they likewise are advantageous to the stores operating them. Penta cited the increase in both produce sales and customer loyalty as positive aspects of participation.
“It makes good business sense, and it makes good sense for the community,” Penta said.
The program was implemented under a model in which Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program customers receive a dollar-for-dollar match on fresh, frozen, canned or dried fruits, vegetables and beans. Customers may earn up to $10 a day, which is placed on an electronic benefit card that may be redeemed either during the transaction or at a future visit. Three Guys from Brooklyn is fully reimbursed by the health department for all incentives redeemed by SNAP shoppers.
To share Penta’s story and engage more retailers in implementing nutrition incentives programs in their stores, the NGAF TA Center has created two videos highlighting the ways in which the program serves as an asset both to their store and to their community members. The videos were shared at the recent 2021 NGA Show, held Sept. 19-21, at the Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
To learn more about nutrition incentives, visit ngaftacenter.org.