Nutrition Incentive Program Evaluation
Produce Perks | Ohio Nutrition Incentive Network (OHNIN)
Overview
Produce Perks puts fresh, healthy food within reach. As Ohio's flagship nutrition incentive program, it empowers SNAP recipients to maximize their purchasing power at the checkout line—and at the farmer's stand. The program's dollar-for-dollar match transforms a modest amount of grocery money into meaningful purchasing power for fresh fruits and vegetables. Operating across over 100 locations in six Ohio counties, Produce Perks reaches SNAP-eligible shoppers where they already shop: their neighborhood grocery stores and community farmers' markets.
The evaluation examined how this program actually works in the real world. Through community-led research, mixed-methods inquiry, and grassroots partnerships, my team and I listened directly to the people it serves—SNAP recipients, retail workers, and store owners—to understand what's working, what barriers remain, and how to strengthen implementation. This participatory approach ensured that findings reflected authentic user experience and led to actionable recommendations that shaped how Produce Perks is delivered across Ohio.
Methods & Framework
The evaluation was grounded in the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), a rigorous approach that examines how programs succeed across different contexts. The CFIR provided a structured lens for understanding the multiple factors shaping program success: the intervention itself, the organizations implementing it, the external policy environment, and the individuals using the service.
CFIR Evaluation Framework
Intervention Characteristics
Examined the dollar-for-dollar match design, marketing materials, and program features that influence SNAP customer purchasing decisions.
Organizational Setting
Analyzed store readiness, staff training, systems infrastructure, and adoption readiness at the retail implementation sites.
Outer Setting
Assessed the policy environment, incentive structures, and external factors that enable or constrain program success across Ohio.
Individual Factors
Explored user awareness, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors shaping engagement with Produce Perks across demographic groups.
Key Findings
High Satisfaction Among Users
Customers who accessed Produce Perks expressed strong satisfaction with the dollar-for-dollar match. The benefit meaningfully expanded their ability to purchase fresh produce, creating real grocery-budget impact and supporting healthier shopping choices.
Critical Awareness Gap
The most significant barrier: many eligible SNAP recipients simply didn't know the program existed. This finding revealed that excellent benefit design means little without effective outreach—pointing to the need for targeted community communication.
Power of Community Partnerships
Locations that built deep community partnerships with trusted local organizations, churches, and food access networks achieved stronger adoption and reached the households most in need of support. Trust matters.
Data-Driven Program Refinement
Frontline workers—cashiers and store managers—identified operational friction points in real time. Listening to these voices directly informed changes to checkout processes, signage, and customer communication that improved implementation across all locations.
Impact & Lessons Learned
This evaluation transformed how Produce Perks operates statewide. The awareness gap finding proved decisive: it led the Ohio Nutrition Incentive Network to redesign outreach campaigns and formalize community partnership models. Store managers used our operational audit findings to streamline checkout procedures and improve point-of-sale signage. SNAP customers' voices—heard directly through community participatory evaluation—shaped real changes in how the program meets people where they are.
Beyond findings, this work demonstrated that rigorous evaluation and community partnership aren't separate activities. They're the same thing. By treating SNAP recipients, retail workers, and store owners as evaluation partners rather than research subjects, we built trust, gained insight, and created ownership of the solutions. That's how programs move from good intentions to real, measurable impact.
Methodological Agility
Pivoted from in-person to virtual data collection during COVID-19 while maintaining research rigor and deepening community engagement through innovative remote methods.
Statewide Systems Change
Recommendations influenced operations at 100+ locations across six counties. Partnership insights led the Ohio Nutrition Incentive Network to formalize community engagement as a core program component.
Community as Co-Evaluators
Positioned SNAP recipients, grocery workers, and store owners as expert evaluators. This participant-centered approach generated richer insights and created lasting stakeholder buy-in for implementation improvements.
Actionable Evidence
Every finding connected to specific, executable recommendations. From awareness campaigns to checkout training to community partnership models—the evaluation created a roadmap that program leadership could immediately implement.
