Local farmers markets are welcome events, recognized for delivering fresh, seasonal produce and food items. But for some families, the price of farm-fresh products seems to be too high, creating a nutritional divide for lower-income households. 

Natalie Loots wants to change that narrative. She is the Community Food Security Program manager with the Utah Department of Health and Human Services and said there are several programs available to make farmers markets accessible and affordable. 

“Our main goal is to make local foods, like fruits and vegetables and other high-nutrition foods more affordable for low-income folks,” Loots said. “Our main program that we operate is called the Double Up Food Bucks program, which has been around since 2015.”

With Double Up Food Bucks, people enrolled in the SNAP program can get up to $20 of free Utah-grown produce with every visit to a participating market. The program offers a dollar-for-dollar match, up to $20, matching SNAP benefits. 

“If folks go to the information booth at the farmers market, they swipe their SNAP card and they’ll get tokens for SNAP and then tokens for Double Up to use at the different vendors at the market. There’s no paperwork they need to fill out. All they have to do is have a valid SNAP card that is currently active.”

Loots said the CFSP works to eliminate barriers that limit access to nutritionally-dense foods. Initiatives like the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program offers low-income seniors a $50 farmers market voucher to use throughout the season. Utah Produce Rx partners with local healthcare clinics to create a $300 fruit and vegetable prescription patients can use at participating farmers markets. 

Caroline Hargraves serves as the marketing director for the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food’s economic development division. She said while prices might be higher on some items at farmers markets, the food quality and nutritional value is much better than what can be found in many grocery stores. 

“I think a lot of people don’t understand that it takes time, energy and labor to produce food. We have such a culture in America of expecting food to be cheap but people who produce it deserve a living wage,” Hargraves said. “Farmers get such a small portion of the dollar that the average consumer pays at the grocery store and I think people don’t understand that. But when you buy directly from farmers at a farmers market, that money is going directly to them.”

Utah’s DHHS operates a local food purchasing assistance program to help socially disadvantaged farm owners. Since the spring of 2022, the program has purchased food from local farmers to distribute to families experiencing food insecurity. 

More than 60,000 individuals have received farm fresh food at nearly 600 distribution events across the state. This will be the last summer the program will be utilized, as federal funding has been cut, but organizers are looking for additional funding sources.

A 2025 Utah State University study, Cultivating Community and Commerce: A Summary of the Statewide Social and Economic Impacts of Utah Farmers Markets, found that farmers markets offer more than just fresh produce. Communities hosting farmers markets fostered community connection, empowered small businesses and contributed to the state’s economy. 

The study also found food deserts are prevalent in the state. These areas have limited access to nutritious food, affecting more than 800,000 Utah residents. Farmers markets address this dire need, so affordability is key. 

“We have several initiatives at the Department of Agriculture and Food to encourage people to support local farmers and ranchers,” Hargraves said. “It does make a difference, both for that individual, like a farmer or business owner, and for the community. The more dollars we can keep circulating in our local economy, the better. But also it tastes better. With local foods, you can taste the difference.”

For more information about farmers markets affordability programs, or to find participating markets, visit uah.org/get-help.

“Our work is aiming to make food security accessible in a way that it functions as a social determinant of health,” Loots said. “Farmers markets are for everybody, and we try to make eating local produce accessible to everybody…Access to healthy foods affects chronic disease outcomes or health outcomes, longevity and quality of life. Those are so deeply connected.”

Locally produced food has better health benefits and can be more affordable than people realize. (Canva stock)