WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (FMNP)

Providing a direct link between nutrition and the nation's small-resource farmers by providing women, infants and children with the opportunity to buy and consume fresh, local fruits, vegetables, and herbs directly from farmers, farmers' markets, and roadside stands

The FMNP is associated with the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, popularly known as WIC, that provides supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education at no cost to low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to 5 years of age, who are found to be at nutritional risk.

The FMNP was established by Congress in July 1992, to provide fresh, nutritious, unprepared, locally grown fruits and vegetables from farmers' markets to WIC participants, and to expand the awareness, use of, and sales at farmers' markets. It is administered through a federal/state partnership in which the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) provides cash grants to state agencies. The FMNP is currently administered by 44 State agencies such as state agriculture departments or health departments or Indian Tribal Organizations.

Eligible WIC participants are issued FMNP coupons in addition to their regular WIC food instruments. These coupons are used to buy fresh, unprepared locally grown fruits, vegetables and herbs from farmers or farmers' markets that have been approved by the state agency to accept FMNP coupons. The federal food benefit level for FMNP recipients may not be less than $10 and no more than $20 per year, per recipient. However, state agencies may supplement the benefit level with state funds. Farmers or farmers' markets authorized to accept FMNP coupons submit the coupons for reimbursement.

Nutrition education is provided to FMNP recipients by the state agency. This information encourages FMNP recipients to improve and expand their diets by adding fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as educates them on how to select, store, and prepare the fresh fruits and vegetables they buy with their FMNP coupons.

Project Examples

Federal funds appropriated for the FMNP have increased from $20 million in FY 2001 to $25 million in 2003.
Increased funding for the FMNP has resulted in three new state agencies operating the program, and a number of state agencies expanding program operations to serve more eligible WIC participants. In FY 2003, over $3.3 million was provided to state agencies for the expansion of current programs.
The FMNP benefits both recipients and farmers. In FY 2002, the program served just over 2.1 million WIC participants. In addition, FMNP recipients purchased over $20.8 million worth of fresh produce from over 13,000 farmers at just over 2,800 market outlets authorized to accept FMNP coupons.
Partnerships play an important role in the success of the FMNP. State agencies bring together health and agriculture agencies, nutrition education organizations, community organizations, farmers, nonprofit entities and advocacy groups, as active partners in supporting program participants and the local farm economy, which in turn improves the health of WIC participants.

Application and Financial Information
Grants for administering the program are made to state health, agriculture, and other agencies (or Indian tribes, bands, or intertribal councils or groups recognized by the Department of the Interior). Participating state agencies must initiate the process by applying for participation in the program.

Federal funds support 70 percent of the total cost of the program. States operating the FMNP must match the federal funds allocated to them by contributing at least 30 percent of the total cost of the program. Indian state agencies may receive a lower match, but not less than 10 percent of the total cost of the program. The matching funds can come from a variety of sources, such as state and local funds, private funds, similar programs, and program income.

For fiscal year 2003, Congress provided a total of $25 million for the FMNP.

Eligibility, Uses, and Restrictions
As a prerequisite to receiving federal funds for the FMNP, each applying or participating state agency must submit a state plan describing the manner in which the state agency intends to implement, operate, and administer all aspects of the FMNP within its jurisdiction.

New state agencies are selected based on evaluation criteria and the availability of funds. Local FMNP sites are selected by participating state agencies based on concentration of eligible WIC participants and access to farmers' markets.

Women, infants (over 4 months old), and children that are certified to receive WIC Program benefits or who are on a waiting list for WIC certification are eligible to participate in the FMNP. State agencies may serve some or all of these categories.

Each state agency is responsible for authorizing individual farmers, farmers' markets, or both. Only farmers and/or farmers' markets authorized by the state agency may accept and redeem FMNP coupons. Individuals who exclusively sell produce grown by someone else, such as wholesale distributors, cannot be authorized to participate in the FMNP.

Contact
Robert C. Mulvey, Regional Director

Regional Contacts
Northeast Region
Phone: (617) 565-6440

Patricia A. Cumiskey-Czeto, Regional Director
MidAtlantic Region
Phone: (609) 259-5100

Jane Monahan, Regional Director
Southeast Region
Phone: (404) 562-7100

Sandra Slayton, Regional Director
Midwest Region
Phone: (312) 886-6625

Sondra Ralph, Regional Director
Southwest Region
Phone: (214) 290-9812

Ralph Anzur, Regional Director
Mountain Plains Region
Phone: (303) 844-0331

Cordelia Fox, Regional Director
Western Region
Phone: (415) 705-1313

Headquarters
Patricia N. Daniels, Director
Supplemental Food Programs Division
Food and Nutrition Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture
3101 Park Center Drive, Room 520
Alexandria, VA 22302-1500
Phone: (703) 305-2746; Fax: (703) 305-2196

Internet
For more information, please visit our website at: www.fns.usda.gov/wic/FMNP/FMNPfaqs.htm

Last Updated January 24, 2005