Nutrition incentives are helping grocers all over the country increase their produce sales, retain more customers and achieve greater engagement with their store community. But creating automated POS transactions to properly process and track nutrition incentives can be challenging. With these challenges in mind, the National Grocers Association Foundation Technical Assistance Center (NGAF TA Center) is always looking for companies who have identified incentive solutions and highlighting their models for interested stores.
The NGAF TA Center is pleased to announce that IT Retail will be a solutions partner in the Nutrition Incentives Solutions Booth (NISB) during the 2021 NGA Show (Sept. 19-22 in Las Vegas).
IT Retail has solved the POS incentive transaction challenges and invites their customers to stop by the NISD booth to learn about incentives and their POS solutions during the NGA Show.
Read more below about these exciting new incentive programs and how your IT Retail POS team and the NGAF TA Center can help you be first in line to start your own nutrition incentive program.
What are nutrition incentives?
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 due to funding/program availability. However, retailers who are “incentive ready” may be better positioned to implement a program when available in their area.
What is GusNIP and how does the funding work?
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 who have received funding.
For SNAP incentive programs, there is a required 1:1 match where for every $1 provided by GusNIP, the grant applicant is required to provide an additional $1. Generally, retailers are not required to provide direct or match funding for programs. There is no federal match requirement for produce prescription programs.
How IT Retail conducts SNAP fresh produce incentive transactions
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 is implemented, both transaction methods are automatic and do not require cashier decision making or intervention.
Want to learn more about nutrition incentives? Visit us at booth 1217!
The NGAF Technical Assistance Center (NGAF TA Center) serves as the grocer resource for nutrition incentives. 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.
What services does the NGAF TA Center offer?
The TA Center offers nutrition incentive education and support for technology providers, wholesalers, stores and grant organizations. The team answers retailer questions, assists in program planning and helps identify solutions at the POS level to run nutrition incentive programs. Additionally, they also help stores identify grantees for incentive partnerships.
Want to bring nutrition incentives to your store? Shoot us an email at incentives@nationalgrocers.org.
Message from IT Retail:
“IT Retail will be at NGA as well. Come say “Hi” – our booth is 319 – and ask us what’s new! Our system is designed to be used by grocery stores, and our team is always there to help you. See how well your store could be functioning with our POS system by signing up for a free demo or feel free to email george@itretail.com with any questions.”
*The NGAF TA Center addresses the challenges grocers and supermarket operators face in establishing nutrition incentive programs and is a proud partner of the Nutrition Incentive Hub. The Nutrition Incentive Hub, funded through a cooperative agreement from the United States Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, is a new resource that provides training, technical assistance, reporting, and evaluation for those working to launch or expand SNAP incentives or produce prescription programs. The Nutrition Incentive Hub is led by Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition in partnership with Fair Food Network along with a coalition of evaluators, researchers, practitioners, and grocery and farmers market experts from across the country dedicated to strengthening and uniting the best thinking in the field to increase access to affordable, healthy food to those who need it most
