ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, April 19, 1996 TAG: 9604190059
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITER
The federal government places no restrictions on the types of food that can be purchased with food stamps.
Fresh fruits and vegetables, or potato chips and candy bars - "just as long as it's edible," said Margarita Maisterrena, public affairs specialist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Under President Clinton's administration, the USDA has placed strong emphasis on more healthful food stamp use. It has stepped up its awarding of nutrition education grants, which are used to educate food stamp recipients about the value of healthful eating.
One of those grants was awarded last year to the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service at Virginia Tech. The extension service provided $700,000, which was matched dollar for dollar by the USDA.
The funding has been used to develop "Smart Choices," a statewide program that takes nutrition education right to the heart of food choice: grocery stores.
This summer, the program will begin in 34 localities, including some in the Roanoke and New River valleys. Program employees will be in grocery stores once a month, providing healthful food "mini-tours," showing food stamp recipients how to plan healthful meals on a budget and helping them make healthful food choices.
"It's an effort to reach the client at the point of purchase," said Joan Elledge, assistant program coordinator for Virginia Tech's Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, who helped develop the program. Whether it's encouraging the purchase of skim milk instead of whole or comparing a fresh food with its frozen or canned cousin, "we want to make direct contact with the client," Elledge said.
"Smart Choice" is scheduled to begin June 1, after a year's test run in the Richmond area. Targeted stores will be those with a high volume of food stamp users, Elledge said. Timing of the program employees' visits will coincide with a localities' distribution of food stamp coupons, usually the first or second week of the month, she said.
An estimated 13,400 households receive food stamps in the Roanoke and New River valleys and Bedford and Bedford County.
"The idea is to empower people to be able to make healthy food choices," said Walt Haake, director of public affairs for the USDA's Food and Consumer Services. "There are those who argue that we should be fairly restrictive in what people purchase with food stamps. We can't legislate that people buy healthier food. But we can sponsor projects that have grass-roots involvement that promote healthy eating."
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