Louisiana Adds Five Parishes to the SNAP Produce Bonus Pilot Project

BATON ROUGE, LA - The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) today announced the expansion of the SNAP produce bonus pilot project to include Walmart stores in Calcasieu, Jackson, Lafayette, Rapides and Terrebonne parishes. 

The five parishes join Ascension, LaSalle, Sabine, Tangipahoa, Webster and West Carroll parishes already taking part in the Electronic Healthy Incentives Project (eHIP), which encourages Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients to make healthy food choices by purchasing more fresh fruits and vegetables.

SNAP recipients who shop at participating Walmart locations in these parishes during the pilot project will receive a 30-cent bonus for every dollar spent on fresh produce back on their EBT card, with a maximum of $25 back a month.

So far, Louisiana SNAP shoppers have received over $280,000 in produce bonus benefits since the project launched in April.

When SNAP shoppers buy fresh fruits and vegetables at one of the participating stores, they receive produce bonus benefits that can be used to buy any SNAP-eligible groceries at any retailer that accepts EBT. Bonus benefits are automatically added to a SNAP recipient’s EBT card and can be used as soon as the next transaction.

“The project helps Louisianans stretch their food budget, but the broader goal is to improve health outcomes,” said Sammy Guillory, Assistant Secretary of Family Support. “By making nutritious food more accessible, we’re supporting healthier families, stronger communities, and a better future for our state.”

Key project features:

• No enrollment required—simply use your EBT card at a participating store
• Open to all Louisiana SNAP recipients who shop at a Walmart store in the eleven parishes
• Bonus benefits are automatically added to EBT cards at checkout
• Produce bonus benefits can be used as soon as the next purchase to buy SNAP-eligible grocery items at any retailer that accepts EBT

Visit dcfs.la/ehip for more information on the initiative and the full list of participating stores.

 About Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services

DCFS is the state agency responsible for keeping children safe, helping individuals and families become self-sufficient and providing refuge during disasters. The Division of Family Support administers the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Workforce Development (SET for Success), Child Support Enforcement, Disability Determination Services, and federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds. The Child Welfare Division manages Child Protection Investigations, Family Services, Foster Care and Adoption Services. Through its Division of Emergency Preparedness and Response, DCFS supports the state's disaster response and recovery functions that involve evacuation, sheltering, emergency food assistance and human services. For more information, visit www.dcfs.la.gov.

About USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), religious creed, disability, age, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English.  Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the agency (state or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to:

1. mail: 
   Food and Nutrition Service, USDA
   1320 Braddock Place, Room 334
   Alexandria, VA 22314; or
2. fax:
   (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
3. email:
   FNSCIVILRIGHTSCOMPLAINTS@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.