News

WNYC NEWSROOM July 11, 2007 —Farmers at the city's greenmarkets hope new scanning devices will reinvigorate their sales to food stamps users.

REPORTER: They say there's been a drop in that business since paper coupons were replaced with a plastic debit card, called Electronic Benefit Transfers, or EBTs. John Schmid, from Muddy River Farms in Goshen, says he hopes the scanners encourage people to change the way they eat.

SCHMID: They come in with the EBT and then they'll actually come back with cash later on. In addition to the EBT to spend more money, once they get accustomed to buying fresh and eating fresh vegetables. Once you eat fresh vegetables, there’s no comparison really.

REPORTER: EBT scanners are available at 20 green markets around the city. Their funding came from the nearly $300,00 the City Council made available to ensure that healthy food is available to all New Yorkers.