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Participant Experiences and Recommendations for Improving Eat Well, Be Well, Rhode Island’s Statewide Retail SNAP Incentive Program: a Qualitative Study

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Food insecurity affects 13.7% of US households and is linked to diet-related chronic disease. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) serves over 41 million Americans, but benefit levels are often insufficient for beneficiaries to purchase enough fruit and vegetables to meet recommended dietary guidelines. In January 2024, Rhode Island launched Eat Well, Be Well (EWBW), a statewide, publicly administered SNAP incentive program. This program provides a $0.50 per $1 reimbursement automatically at the point of sale when fresh fruit and vegetables are purchased at participating grocery stores. We conducted seven focus groups that explored the lived experiences of SNAP recipients between February and March 2025. We recruited 37 participants via purposeful sampling. Eligible participants shopped with SNAP benefits since January 2024 at one of two participating grocery retailers. Focus groups explored program acceptability, lived experiences, and perceived impact on produce purchase and consumption. Participants were also asked for their recommendations for improving the program. Participants’ mean age was 51; 65% were women, 24% were Hispanic; 62% had received SNAP for more than 5 years. Participants reported that fresh produce was prohibitively expensive. EWBW was highly acceptable; participants found it easy to use because of the automatic point of sale design. Most participants reported EWBW expanded purchasing power and improved dietary quality. Some participants reported not knowing about the program and being unable to use it because of transportation barriers to participating retailers. Many reported that the $25 monthly program cap was insufficient for larger households. Participants suggested expanding the program to additional retail locations, enhancing marketing efforts to improve public awareness about the program, increasing the monthly incentive cap, and including frozen and canned produce in the program. Participants perceived that the first statewide, publicly administered SNAP incentive program was highly acceptable, improved access to fresh produce, and enhanced their purchasing power. Participants found the program’s automatic, point of sale design easy to use. Improved marketing efforts and expanding the program to include other retailers could enhance program uptake. This pilot program can inform federal policy focused on enhancing dietary quality for SNAP recipients.

Source: BMC Public Health

DOI: 10.1186/s12889-026-30136-y