Bill authorizing $1 million for Iowa Double Up Food Bucks would provide first-time state aid for program

Mike Mendenhall Feb 3, 2025 | 4:48 pm
4 min read time
875 wordsAll Latest News, Government Policy and Law, Iowa Stops HungerA bill that would authorize $1 million in state funding for the first time for the Double Up Food Bucks program — an initiative that provides a 1-to-1 match to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients for fruits and vegetable purchases — has gained some traction in the Iowa Senate.
Proponents of the proposal say the new money will allow the program manager — Iowa Healthiest State Initiative — and its partners to enhance Double Up Food Bucks’ technology integration and overall sustainability and expand it into more Iowa communities and participating businesses.
“Really the focus for the next few years is to continue to enhance the sites that we have. We’re going to be integrating some more technology, as well as focusing on [expanding] our independent stores. So that’s going to take a feat, because [point-of-sale] systems are not easy,” said Jazzmine Brooks, director of healthy incentives for Iowa Healthiest State Initiative.
“That tech work is going to take some time. And then we’re also going to look at integrating food navigators at our farmers markets. So really think of them as folks that help users get integrated in the program, learn about how to use the program, how to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, and get the biggest benefit out of the program,” she said.
Senate Study Bill 1012, unanimously recommended for passage on Jan. 22 by a three-person Senate subcommittee, would appropriate $1 million from the state’s general fund to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services to be issued as a grant to support the Double Up Food Bucks.
The committee included Sen. Mike Klimesh, R-Winneshiek County; Sen. Mark Lofgren, R-Muscatine; and Sen. Trone Garriott, D-Dallas County.
The legislation will need the support of the Senate Appropriations Committee, the full Senate and the House before it can make its way to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk this session.
Double Up Food Bucks launched in Iowa as a pilot program in 2016 and matches up to $15 per day for SNAP recipients’ purchases at participating vendors. Customers receive a reloadable card where the matching funds are placed that can be used alongside SNAP purchases of fruits and vegetables.
“So what we notice with users is that oftentimes they’ll do the matching at the front end, and then once their SNAP [benefits are] low or out, they’ll spend the money using their Double Up Food Bucks card so that they don’t run out,” Brooks said.
Brooks told the Business Record that Double Up Food Bucks had 96 food vendors enrolled in 2024 in 44 counties. She said so far in 2025 there are 88 participating vendors. That includes 69 grocery stores, 11 farmers markets, five farm stands and three community-supported agriculture (CSA) networks, she said.
According to Brooks, the program was used by more than 28,000 Iowans in 2024 and had a $500,000 economic impact during that period.
The Iowa Healthiest State Initiative secured partnerships with Hy-Vee Inc. and Fareway Stores Inc. in 2019 to participate in the program. The nonpartisan, nonprofit initiative works with Epic Technology Solutions LLC to integrate and provide technical support for businesses using its Fresh Incentives platform that allows the customer to receive their match dollars instantly at a grocery store or produce vendor’s point of sale.
Double Up Food Bucks currently gets the majority of its funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) and private donations.
The program was awarded a multiyear, $4.63 million grant through GusNIP in 2021. If passed, the $1 million from the state would be for fiscal year 2024-25, and Brooks said it has not been determined if the state dollars would be recurring.
The bill has declared support from about 35 organizations and companies including the Iowa Grocery Industry Association, Fareway, the United Way of Central Iowa and the Iowa Farmers Union.
Another backer is the Des Moines Area Religious Council, which operates a 14-partner food pantry network in Central Iowa. Luke Elzinga, DMARC policy and advocacy manager, said that Double Up Food Bucks has a $1.90 return on investment for every $1 put into the program.
He hopes the $1 million investment from the state will expand the program, as well as benefit Iowa food pantries, which have been under strain as food insecurity in Iowa remains an issue.
“We all recognize that grocery prices are really high and there are a lot of Iowans right now who are struggling with food insecurity,” he said. “For folks on SNAP, the No. 1 barrier of attaining a healthy diet is the cost of healthy food.”
Supporters say the bill would also be an economic boost to Iowa produce farmers, grocers and smaller retailers. Brooks said Iowa Healthiest State Initiative wants to expand Double Up Food Bucks into more Fareway and Hy-Vee locations and into more “mom-and-pop” shops.
“I just see money going back into our state, and going back into locally owned businesses so that allows them to hire more people,” she said. “That allows them to create more produce, to sell more produce, and to support their own community. They are serving people that they live alongside. And I think that it creates a quality community when people can see value in the folks that are with — their neighbors.”

Mike Mendenhall
Mike Mendenhall is associate editor at Business Record. He covers economic development, government policy and law.