USDA pilot to subsidize fruits and vegetables

Public health advocates have long yearned to link food assistance to good nutrition. But the question was how? Telling people what to eat is a political no-no – and it’s impractical to boot: How could the government rate which of the 50,000-plus products in a grocery store are healthy? Would Diet Coke pass the test? How about juice drink Sunny Delight?

This week, the USDA took a first crucial step toward finding the answer when it announced details of a $20 million pilot program that provides incentives for recipients of SNAP, formerly called food stamps, to eat more fruits and vegetables. The money was allocated in the 2008 Farm Bill.

Read the full article at The New York Times