As household budgets tighten, Field & Fork Network is expanding access to fresh produce by making its flagship nutrition incentive program easier to use at more retail locations

BUFFALO, N.Y., March 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Field & Fork Network announced today that its Double Up Food Bucks NY (DUFBNY) program has surpassed one million transactions since launching in 2014, a milestone that reflects sustained demand both for food assistance and the systems required to bring nutrition incentives to scale across New York state.

What began as a pilot at seven farmers markets now operates at more than 320 locations in 53 of 57 counties outside New York City. In the areas DUFBNY serves, more than 590,000 households rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, representing nearly 1.1 million people¹. While broader indicators continue to show that food hardship remains high across the state² and groceries cost nearly 30% more than they did in February 2020³, DUFBNY was used more than 500,000 times in 2025 alone.

DUFBNY provides a free, automatic dollar-for-dollar match on SNAP purchases of eligible fresh fruits and vegetables — up to $20 per day at grocery stores and up to $50 per day at farm-direct locations — helping households stretch food budgets while supporting small retailers, local farmers, and regional economies.

The program's growth was fueled by a decade of investment in the infrastructure needed to make the dollar-for-dollar match easy to receive across multiple retail settings. Today, DUFBNY is offered using five point-of-sale options, including integration with automated grocery coupon systems that allows eligible shoppers to receive the incentive through a standard EBT purchase.

"Surpassing one million Double Up Food Bucks NY transactions proves that nutrition incentives work best when they are made available where SNAP families already shop," said Lisa French, CEO of Field & Fork Network. "The program grew because we invested early in solving the operational barriers that often prevent nutrition incentives from scaling. By building a model that is seamless for operators and simple for shoppers, we have been able to expand access to fresh produce in a way that is both practical and responsive to rising need."

Since 2014, DUFBNY has supported more than $8.2 million in fresh produce purchases, generated $12.2 million in economic impact for local communities, and directed $2.3 million toward New York farmers.

For more information, visit www.DoubleUpNYS.com.

About Field & Fork Network

Field & Fork Network is a leading food access nonprofit based in Buffalo, N.Y., on a mission to connect local communities to innovative solutions that foster a sustainable food system across New York State. The organization addresses issues of food security and the impacts of diet-related disease by delivering nutrition incentive and fresh produce prescription programs to low-income individuals and families in need. Field & Fork Network is the exclusive statewide administrator of Double Up Food Bucks NY, a free and often vital resource that provides a dollar-for-dollar match, from $20 to $50 a day, on the purchase of fresh produce when using SNAP. Visit www.FieldAndForkNetwork.com and www.DoubleUpNYS.com for more information. 

¹ As of December 2025, New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance statistics, Table 16.
² New York Health Foundation, Hunger on the Rise: New York's Food Insufficiency Rates Hit New Highs and Exceed Pandemic Levels (2024 Update).
³ Bureau of Labor Statistics, as reported by NPR.

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SOURCE Field & Fork Network