SNAP Info Corner

What farmers market products are considered SNAP eligible? It can be confusing to remember them all.  We recommend keeping a list handy at your market table and a copy for vendors so they may keep their customers informed:

Vendors that ARE allowed to accept SNAP:

• Fruits and Vegetables 

• Breads

• Meat, Fish, Poultry

• Dairy Products

• Maple and Honey Products

• Seeds and Plants that Produce Foods (many people are surprised to learn this!)

• Baked Goods: must be wrapped, labeled and intended for home consumption

• Prepared foods: eg. Jams, Sauces, Soups, Dressings, Oils, Vinegars, pickled products, etc..

• Coffee, Teas, Juices (not prepared for drinking on-site, but for home preparation and consumption only)

These products are NOT allowed to be purchased with SNAP:

• Beer, Wine, or Liquor

• Tobacco Products

• Nonfood Items

• Food Meant to be Eaten On-Site

• Hot Foods

• Vitamins and Medicines

• CBD products

Farmers Market Federation of NY — 2021 Webinar Schedule: SNAP for Farmers and Farmers Markets

There are a lot of advantages to joining the SNAP program. As a farm, you are able to add new customers for your products, increasing sales and profits. Farmers markets will be able to make their markets more accessible to a wider segment of their community, as well as bringing more sales opportunities to your participating farmers and vendors. Joining SNAP is not hard to do, and New York State makes it easy and affordable for you! Learn how to join by participating in these free workshops offered by the Farmers Market Federation of NY via zoom.

Each topic will be repeated twice to allow you to participate in the date most convenient to you. These will also be recorded and posted on the Farmers Market Federation of NY’s website for future reference and referrals.

There will also be ample opportunity in each session for you to ask questions to help you make the decision to join the SNAP program and earn more customers and sales!

Enrolling in SNAP: Is It the Right Move for You?

The SNAP program (formerly known as the Food Stamp Program) holds the potential for farmers to increase their customer base and their farm revenues. This workshop will focus on enrolling SNAP for farmers markets; why you should participate and how you can apply to be a farmer SNAP retailer.

View the Webinar

Operating SNAP at a NY Farmers Market

Farmers Markets all across NYS have stepped up to operate a SNAP program in the markets, bringing new customers to the market and adding revenue to their farmers. This system operates on a central terminal system with one terminal in the market and tokens used as SNAP currency. This workshop will provide key information on operating the central terminal system and tokens in the marketplace. Learn what your rights and responsibilities are, what NYS can provide to help you with your program, and some basic promotions for your SNAP program.

Tuesday, May 4: Noon — 1:30pm

Attend the Webinar

Changes to SNAP for 2020

Gives You More Opportunity and Decreases Out-of-Pocket Expenses

In the times of COVID, SNAP becomes more important than ever. Thousands have lost their jobs, food shortages hamper the supermarkets, with rising prices. USDA has responded by increasing SNAP benefits in the short term. There are also changes in the program to benefit farmers and farmers markets already in the SNAP program.

USDA has made it easier than ever to be a part of the SNAP program. This year, USDA is once again funding MarketLink to help farmers markets and direct marketing farmers to join the SNAP program. This is an opportunity to reach those in your community who are now hurting because of the pandemic. Give them access to fresh, healthy local food by making your food accessible to SNAP users. Contact the Federation office to join SNAP. We will help you through the process and get you started. Call 315-400-1447 or email deggert@nyfarmersmarket.com.

Another change to the program is that Novo Dia has rolled out a new, updated app to accept SNAP through your mobile phones. The current Mobile Market Plus app is being phased out in favor of TotilPay Go. The new app will increase functionality as new opportunities are rolled out. You will need to make the changeover manually, by starting here.

For those already in the SNAP program, there some new options for you that could save you some out-of-pocket costs.

Through Novo Dia, you now have the opportunity to change your SNAP processor from WorldPay to Novo Dia. Currently WorldPay charges 15 cents per SNAP transaction. However, Novo Dia does not charge for SNAP processing, but, instead, wraps those fees in your Mobile Market Plus license fee. So there will be no additional charges. To make the changeover, begin the process here.

Another significant change this year is an opportunity to choose a debit/credit processor. In the past, the only option was WorldPay. But now you can opt for Square as your processor, if you would like. The pro side of Square is that you will not be charged an annual processing fee, just a discount fee on your sales. The downside to Square is that it does require a unique card reader. So you would need both a card reader for SNAP and a separate card reader for Square. It is your choice to use either WorldPay or Square for your debit/credit processing. If you choose to go with Square, you can begin the process by applying for Square processing directly with Square. Then contact Novo Dia to initiate Square on your TotilPay account at support@novodiagroup.com.