At IT Retail, we’ve already solved the challenge of how nutrition incentives POS transactions are processed so you can focus on implementing a valuable program for your SNAP shoppers.
Want to increase your product sales, retain more customers and achieve greater engagement with your store community? Our IT Retail POS team is ready to help provide you the opportunity to achieve these profitable goals via nutrition incentive programs.
Read more below about these exciting new incentive programs and how your IT Retail POS team and the National Grocers Association Foundation Technical Assistance Center (NGAF TA Center) can help you be first in line to start your nutrition incentive program.
Nutrition incentives allow food retailers to provide extra food dollars to help low-income shoppers buy more fruits and vegetables. Retailers are reimbursed for the value of discounts and free products distributed via the programs.
There are two primary nutrition incentive programs being conducted by retailers across the country.
Nutrition incentive programs are not available to all retailers. However, retailers who are “incentive ready” may be better positioned to implement a program when available in their area.
The Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Grant Program (GusNIP) is a $250M, 5-year project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Each year, USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) issues a solicitation inviting interested nonprofit entities and state/local government agencies to submit proposals to administer nutrition incentive programs with grocers. Grocers are not eligible to apply for GusNIP funding and must partner with organizations that have received GusNIP grant funding.
For SNAP fresh produce incentive programs, there is a required match where for every $1 provided by GusNIP, the grant applicant must provide an additional $1. Generally, retailers are not required to provide direct or match funding for programs. There is no federal match requirement for producing prescription programs.
Across the country, incentive transactions are conducted via POS printed coupons, store loyalty cards, immediate discounts, or special program cards. IT Retail offers the capability to conduct incentive transactions via an “instant” discount during a transaction along with the option of issuing a register printed coupon redeemable during a future transaction. Both incentive methods are triggered when a SNAP EBT customer has purchased qualifying products and then swipes their EBT card. Regardless of which transaction method you and your grant partner select to use, both transaction methods are automatic and do not require cashier decision-making or intervention. If you are contacted about establishing an incentive program, be sure to contact us and we’ll be happy to discuss our system capabilities with you and your grant partner.
The NGAF Technical Assistance Center (NGAF TA Center) serves as the grocer resource for nutrition incentives because they address the challenges grocers face in establishing nutrition incentive programs and there are no fees for assistance with nutrition incentive implementations as their services are funded by GusNIP.
The TA Center offers nutrition incentive education and support for technology providers, wholesalers, stores, and grant organizations. They answer retailer questions, assist in program planning and help identify solutions at the POS level to run nutrition incentive programs. Additionally, they help stores identify grantees for incentive partnerships.
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