MSU Extension Nutrition

Michigan State University (MSU) Extension delivers affordable, relevant, evidence-based education to help adults, young people, and families in urban and rural communities be healthy. Programs focus on helping participants gain the skills they need to buy and prepare nutritious, budget-friendly foods; increase their physical activity; breastfeed their babies; and stretch their food dollars.

Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program

Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program at Sara Hardy and Grow Benzie Farmers' Markets are virtual this year. Participants are referred by physicians' offices and a local food bank and a senior center. Participants attend four education sessions with MSU Extension and then go to a participating market to pick up their tokens. Each education session earns a participant $25 worth of tokens to be used at the market to purchase fruits, vegetables, seedlings, herbs, and mushrooms.

Discover Michigan Fresh

Discover Michigan Fresh farmer’s market tours help SNAP-Ed eligible residents get to know their local farmer’s markets and explore Michigan-grown produce. The tours encourage participants to shop at their farmer’s market for nutritious and affordable foods that keep their dollars local.

Michigan State University Extension’s nutrition education staff members join tour participants at the farmer’s market where they are taken on a guided tour through the market. Participants meet farmers and talk about ideas for making new farm fresh products.

Below is a summary of the Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program in Grand Traverse County in FY21. In collaboration with Munson Healthcare and Michigan State University Extension, the Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program provided nutrition education to a total of 127 participants over four series using the Discover Michigan Fresh curriculum.

Demographics

Age:

• 57% 18-59 Years
• 43% 60+ Years

Gender:

• 90% Female
• 10% Male

Race:

• Prefer not to respond: 7
• White: 112
• Black or African American: 1
• Asian: 1
• American Indian or Alaskan Native: 12

Ethnicity: 

• Prefer not to respond: 24
• Non-Hispanic/Latino: 99
• Hispanic/Latino: 4

Data presented below include results of MSU-Extension-led efforts in providing the Fruit and Vegetable Prescription program during the market season of 2021. Participants were asked to complete a pretest and posttest survey at the beginning and at the end of the program, respectively. The following data include participants who completed both a pre and a posttest assessment.

Attitudes and Behaviors Toward Shopping at the Farmer’s Market

The graph below shows the proportion of participants who reported increases in attitudes and behaviors toward shopping at a farmer’s market, including overall comfort of shopping at a farmer’s market, using SNAP benefits, talking with vendors about produce, and purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables.

Confidence in Shopping Behaviors

The graph below shows the proportion of participants who reported improvements in their self- efficacy toward shopping at a farmer’s market.

Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

The graph below shows the proportion of participants who reported increases in fruit and vegetable consumption.

Success Stories

During a virtual lesson of the Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program that partners with Munson Healthcare, a participant stayed on zoom after class to let us know that not only did she figure out zoom for the first time in her life but she, at 82 years old, learned how to blanch green beans and vegetables before freezing them. She was excited about how easy it looked and she was able to watch the process during the class on zoom and follow along. Her hearing isn't very good, but she liked how she could watch the steps on her laptop. She thanked us for the class and told us she would be back for another class.