by Fiona McBride (at Wholesome Wave)
Wholesome Wave is a national nonprofit based out of Bridgeport, CT that strives to create a vibrant, just and sustainable food system. Through initiatives in 27 states and D.C., Wholesome Wave works to make healthy, fresh food affordable and accessible to everyone.
Wholesome Wave’s initiatives focus on simple solutions to the complex problems born out of a fractured food system. Our work focuses on the nearly 50 million food insecure Americans who bear a disproportionate burden of the impact of this broken food system. We take a community-based approach, working collaboratively with partners nationwide, including farmers markets, hospitals, government agencies, like-minded corporations and more. Our programs can be found at more than 300 farmers markets, retail outlets, and dozens of hospitals and community health centers across the nation, reaching more than 40,000 individuals and their families each year.
Affordable access is the focal point of our work. Focusing on both affordability and accessibility makes healthy food choices possible for Americans experiencing food insecurity, leading to improved health outcomes, stronger communities, and personal empowerment.
Wholesome Wave primarily works through farmers markets. Our marquee initiative, the Double Value Coupon Program, is a national network of nutrition incentive programs that make it possible for consumers using food stamps to receive a monetary incentive when they choose to spend their federal nutrition benefits at participating farmers markets on the purchase of locally grown, fresh fruits and vegetables. Area farmers increase their revenue as a result of a new consumer base and local economies benefit because food dollars stay within the community.
Recognizing the binding link between food and health , Wholesome Wave launched the Fruit and Vegetable prescription program. This program works as it sounds – individuals suffering from diet-related illness such as Type-2 diabetes receive a prescription from their doctor for fresh fruits and vegetables, which they can redeem at local farmers markets and retail outlets. They also meet with a nutritionist to set healthy eating goals and discuss healthy food options. With the prescription, the patient and their entire family can better afford the fresh foods that can improve their health. Wholesome Wave has seen nearly half of program participants decrease their Body Mass Index (BMI), a leading indicator of improved health.
The Double Value Coupon Program and Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program both place emphasis on making healthy foods more affordable for shoppers at farmers markets. Wholesome Wave’s Healthy Food Commerce Investments (HFCI) team focuses on accessibility. HFCI aims to make locally and regionally grown food easily available to a wider breadth of people by working with institutions – grocery stores, schools, corporate cafeterias, hospitals and restaurants – to increase access to local food for low-income Americans. Currently it is not easy for a school food manager, cafeteria chef or large grocery chain to consistently purchase and sell large amounts of local farm products. Regional food hubs are working to make it easier to source local in these settings by aggregating, distributing and processing products from regional farms and food producers – farmers, fishermen, dairy and livestock producers. The HFCI team works with these food hubs to position them to efficiently, safely, and reliably supply locally and regionally grown food.
Wholesome Wave wants all Americans, starting with the most disadvantaged, to have access to affordable, healthy food. We want small and mid-sized farms to thrive, meeting an invigorated demand for healthy, local food. We want public policy to emphasize food equity and reflect the intimate linkages between human health, economic health, environmental health and the food system. Wholesome Wave is changing the world we eat in.
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