Washington, D.C. – The National Grocers Association Foundation (NGAF) has wrapped up the Point of Sale (POS) Produce Prescription (PPR) Workgroup, successfully creating a core functionality document for efficient and accurate produce prescription POS solutions. This will be added to the association’s collection of resources that guide grocers seeking to offer nutrition incentives and produce prescription programs in their communities.
Produce prescriptions are programs that aim to positively impact dietary habits and overall health of individuals, particularly those with limited access to healthy foods and diet-related health conditions.
This workgroup was brought together in partnership with the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) Training, Technical Assistance, Evaluation and Information Center (NTAE) and featured representatives from 15 different nonprofits and government agencies that administer PPR programs. The document outlines the POS specifications for successful execution of produce prescription programs in grocery settings. Previously, the NGAF TA Center created a similar standards document using the workgroup model for nutrition incentive programs which has been used by technology providers, retailers and nonprofit organizations across the country.
Over the course of several months, these representatives worked to reach consensus on the common functionality needed in POS systems and payment processors to offer produce prescription solutions. Participants receive access to funds they can spend at grocery stores or other redemption sites on fresh fruits and vegetables through partnership with a healthcare provider.
“I was impressed by the cohesion and engagement of all members of the workgroup,” said Josh Anderegg, project director of the NGAF Technical Assistance Center. “Our goal in creating this document was to eliminate the barriers to entry and progress that come with developing new software for retail owners, and we all look forward to the solutions that will be created as a result.”
Ted Mason, retail technology consultant for NGAF Technical Assistance Center, added, “This successful effort proves how organizations operating PPR projects across the country collaborated to provide guidance to the technology community for solution development. This document provides the basic framework of solution needs, while also respecting the unique needs of individual PPR program operators. Ultimately, PPR program operators, retailers and those receiving benefits will be better served.”
NGAF encourages all POS developers and payment processors to use this document as a starting point for their solution to enable their retailers across the country to take advantage of these beneficial programs. Thus far, several POS developers, dealers and manufacturers have supported the document, including ECRS, EPIC Technology Solutions, INCOMM, Longtail Retail, Nations Benefits and nData Solutions.
NGAF will be hosting a webinar to discuss the process that was implemented to create this document (as well as a share out of the document itself) on Thursday, Nov. 9, from 1-2 p.m. EST; if you would like to attend, please register here.
For further questions on how to implement these standards or to learn more about how to partner with GusNIP produce prescription projects, please email NGAF at incentives@nationalgrocers.org.
These efforts on produce prescriptions build upon NGA’s leadership to broaden the acceptance of healthy benefit cards among grocery retailers, including an online toolkit designed to help grocers implement the technology required to accept these payment cards, as well as be an ongoing resource for updates about this benefit program.
About NGA Foundation
The NGA Foundation is the 501(c)3 nonprofit arm of the National Grocers Association. The Foundation provides independent retailers with tools to develop more effective recruiting programs, enhance retention efforts and bolster professional leadership development opportunities for employers. For more information, visit www.ngafoundation.org.
About the Nutrition Incentive Hub
The Nutrition Incentive Hub is a coalition of partners, created by the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program National Training, Technical Assistance, Evaluation and Information Center (GusNIP NTAE Center), that supports nutrition incentive projects, including SNAP incentives, and produce prescription projects. The GusNIP NTAE Center is led by the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition. In partnership with Fair Food Network, they assembled the Nutrition Incentive Hub, a coalition of evaluators, researchers, practitioners, and grocery and farmers market experts from across the country dedicated to strengthening and uniting the best thinking in the field to increase access to affordable, healthy food for those who need it most. The GusNIP NTAE Center is funded through a cooperative agreement and supported by Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program grant 2019-70030-30415/project accession 1020863 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Learn more at https://www.nutritionincentivehub.org.
About NGA
NGA is the national trade association representing the retail and wholesale community grocers that comprise the independent sector of the food distribution industry. An independent retailer is a privately owned or controlled food retail company operating a variety of formats. The independent grocery sector is accountable for about 1.2 percent of the nation’s overall economy and is responsible for generating more than $250 billion in sales, 1.1 million jobs, $39 billion in wages and $36 billion in taxes. NGA members include retail and wholesale grocers located in every congressional district across the country, as well as state grocers’ associations, manufacturers and service suppliers. For more information about NGA, visit www.nationalgrocers.org.
