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Farmers, food banks and advocates ask state to restore Healthy Incentives and bolster emergency food funding
Summary
Farmers, food banks and hunger advocates told the Ways and Means committee that cuts to the Healthy Incentives Program and federal food assistance threaten local producers and the network of food pantries. They urged FY26 increases to HIP and the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program.
Farmers, food-bank leaders and statewide food-security advocates told the Joint Committee on Ways and Means that recent cuts and looming federal reductions in nutrition support are jeopardizing the supply chain that feeds hundreds of thousands of residents in Massachusetts.
"From 2020 to 2023, food pantry use rose 80% across the state," said Kate Adams of the Greater Boston Food Bank, which called for a $55.5 million appropriation for the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program (NEFAP). "NEFAP ensures residents, regardless of immigration status, can access nutritious food."
Speakers also focused on the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP), the farmers-market matching program that triples the buying power of SNAP recipients at participating markets. Several vendors reported week-to-week declines of 25'60% in SNAP/HIP sales after the program's monthly caps were cut in December. "We are down over $27,000 in SNAP transactions compared with last year," said one Franklin County vendor, who warned of layoffs and farm-business losses.
Farmers argued HIP drives local economic activity, supports regional food systems and increases access to produce in neighborhoods that lack grocery options. Food-bank leaders warned federal cuts to food support programs would shift demand onto state-funded channels.
Why this matters: HIP and NEFAP support both nutrition and local agriculture; reductions in either can reduce access to healthy food at the same time they put small producers at financial risk. Witnesses said modest state increases can have outsized effects by preserving purchasing power and local market demand.
Ending: Witnesses asked the committee to restore HIP caps to pre-December levels and to include $55.5 million for NEFAP in FY26. Farmers and food banks also urged longer-term strategies to protect farmers and ensure state-federal coordination for nutrition programs.
