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The Eat Well, Be Well
Rewards Program
The Eat Well Be Well Rewards Program (EWBW) offers an innovative approach to address food insecurity by making fresh produce more affordable through a monetary SNAP incentive.
- Program Overview
The Eat Well Be Well Rewards Program (EWBW) offers an innovative approach to address food insecurity by making fresh produce more affordable through a monetary SNAP incentive. EWBW will provide all ~140,000 SNAP recipients in Rhode Island with 50% off their fresh fruit and vegetable purchases at participating retailers across the state. SNAP recipients will receive this incentive automatically at the cash register. A rebate for 50% off their eligible purchases will be automatically applied to their EBT cards immediately after the purchase is complete. The Rhode Island Eat Well, Be Well Rewards Program is the first and only state-wide retail SNAP incentive program in the United States.
In 2023, food insecurity impacted nearly 1 in 3 households in Rhode Island. People of color are disproportionately impacted by the burden of food insecurity; 48% of Black households and 51% of Latinx households experienced food insecurity versus 23% of White households in Rhode Island. SNAP supports low-income families, but healthy food such as fresh fruits and vegetables is extremely cost prohibitve for this population. The average household in Rhode Island receives approximately $315 in benefits per month which is equivalent to $3.75 per household per meal according to the Brown University School of Public Health. It is virtually impossible to feed your family a healthy, nutritious meal on this budget. This program will substantially alleviate food insecurity for Rhode Island’s most vulnerable families.
The Eat Well Be Well Rewards program is a market based solution to alleviating food insecurity and promoting healthy eating for Rhode Islands lowest income families all while supporting the state’s retail grocery businesses. This program is a win-win for RI businesses, community members and public health.
- Frequently Asked Questions
The Eat Well, Be Well Rewards program is a nutrition incentive program operated by the Rhode Island Department of Human Services. This program enables all SNAP recipients in the state of Rhode Island to receive a monetary incentive reward for their fresh fruit and vegetable purchases at participating retailers throughout the state.
You can visit the Rhode Island Department of Human Services website to find a complete list of all retailers participating in the program.
- Fresh Fruits and vegetables that are cut or whole
- Edible seeds (e.g., sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds)
- Fresh herbs
- Salad Kits – inclusive of products that have cheese, croutons, dressing, etc. Included
- Pomegranate cup (fresh arils)
- Potted fruit, vegetable and herb plants (I.e. basil)
- Fresh garlic
SNAP participants are eligible to receive 50% off their fresh fruit and vegetable purchases.
There is a monthly cap of a $25.00 incentive per SNAP household, meaning a SNAP household can spend $50.00 per month on fresh fruits and vegetables and receive up to a $25.00 reimbursement incentive back onto their EBT card.
The reward incentive is given to the SNAP recipient as an automatic reimbursement directly on the participants’ EBT card. The SNAP recipient does not need to take any additional steps to receive this incentive. The incentive will be reimbursed immediately after purchase of any eligible items back onto the recipients’ EBT card.
There are two ways you can check your EWBW rewards balance:
- It is printed on the bottom of the receipt when you check out at the grocery store.
- You can access it via phone or your online SNAP portal like you would normally to find your monthly SNAP balance.
Please contact the Department of Human Services. Full contact details are provided in the addendum.
This program was funded through an $11.5 million budgetary appropriation of the Rhode Island General Assembly to the Department of Human Services during the 2022 legislative session.
Currently this program is allowed to operate until funds are expended. However, there is continuous ongoing advocacy efforts from organizations and legislators throughout the state to continue to fund this program.
Visit here to contact your legislators and the governor to let them know how important this program is to you and your family and to ask that they continue to fund the EWBW Rewards program.
- Advocacy & Evaluation
Advocacy
Rhode Island has approximately 140,000 SNAP recipients, comprised of the state’s most vulnerable community members, including over 46,000 children and 30,000 seniors. Several published studies have found SNAP recipients consistently report that their benefits do not last the whole month. Access to fresh, healthy and affordable food is a basic human right and the Eat Well, Be Well Rewards program is critical to ensuring this right for thousands of low-income Rhode Islanders. Tell your legislators and the governor today how important it is to keep funding the Eat Well, Be Well Rewards program.
Evaluation
RIPHI has been contracted by the Department of Human Services to lead the state’s evaluation of the EWBWR program. RIPHI will be measuring the impacts of this program on fruit and vegetable consumption as well as food and nutrition security status among SNAP recipients. This is the first statewide program of its kind in the country and this data will be used to support advocacy efforts in Rhode Island as well as inform national models for this program in other states. The data from this evaluation will be published in a publicly available report upon its completion.
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