Shoppers looking forward to farmers markets for a break in their grocery bills may be disappointed this season, especially if they rely on a LINK card – food stamps – as their primary source for their food budget.

There will be almost 30 farmers markets in Chicago this summer, many opening for the first time. Despite their various locations, it doesn’t seem as if all city residents will have equal access to the fresh produce and natural products the markets intend to provide.

With a 7 percent rise in grocery prices in the Chicago-Gary-Kenosha area over the past year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, many consumers are looking forward to the options offered by the farmers. But if you’re one of the 500,000 food stamp recipients in Illinois, you may have difficulty shopping at one of the markets.

“When food stamps were paper, participants could take them to a farmer just like money,” said Paul Levin, the executive director of the Logan Square Chamber of Commerce, who helps organize the neighborhood’s farmers market. “When food stamps became [electronic benefit transfer], it effectively shut food stamp participants out of farmers markets. Mainly, the farmers just didn’t have the equipment.”

In Chicago, there are about three markets in addition to Logan Square that use LINK card equipment – Hyde Park, Woodlawn, and Englewood, which is a new market.

Representatives for Green City market in Lincoln Park said they are working quickly to accept LINK cards and will have the equipment by the middle of the season. Levin said about seven markets in Illinois accept LINK cards.

LINK card users should be able to buy most foods, just like at a grocery store, according to the Illinois Department of Human Services. WIC participants and senior citizens may receive paper vouchers worth $15 per family member per month, but it depends on where they live and which office they use.

WIC nutritionist Vernell Jones, who works at the Roger’s Park office, said the vouchers, which are available starting in July, are good for produce only, not the prepared foods. Most of her clients, however, do not have a feasible option to go to the farmers markets.

“There are farmers markets further down in the city and on the South Side,” Jones said, “but not here on the North Side anymore, so the state says our clients aren’t eligible,” Jones said.

Not only do they not receive the vouchers, Jones said, many of them also have other accessibility issues, such as transportation, safety in their neighborhood and awareness about healthy eating.

But the numbers show that there is a need for affordable and healthy food, especially with recent price jumps.

According to the Illinois Department of Human Services, farmers market nutrition program expenses for WIC and seniors were slightly more than $930,000 for 74,000 recipients last year. In 2006, expenses were less, about $500,500, but there were almost 90,000 recipients.

Households participating in food stamps, however, increased this year. Between February this year and February last year, households receiving food stamps increased almost 5 percent. For the previous year, February 2006 to February 2007, the increase was about 2 percent.

Nationally, people receiving food stamps rose 6.1 percent from February 2007 to February this year. This is the first year since 2003 that the increase was greater than the increase from the previous year. From February 2006 to February 2007, the number of food stamp recipients rose only 2.3 percent.

RULES VARY MARKET TO MARKET
State and city Web sites encourage markets to take LINK cards, but the majority of markets that participate are operated independently.

Of the famers markets that allow consumers to use public assistance, Hyde Park is the one market that is city-operated. Yescinia Mota, of the mayor’s special events department, was not aware of Hyde Park’s LINK card program and said that there are occasions where individual farmers or markets can apply for their own systems.

“We’ve spoken to and are working with the state, but it’s a long process,” Mota said. “It’s hard to know because in some cases each farmer needs their own PIN number [for transactions], but for others the whole market might need a PIN number, too.” She said everyone should be able to shop at farmers markets, whether it’s a smaller local market or a larger one downtown.

Each market is composed of many vendors, sometimes 20 or more, that operate independently, but they must submit applications and adhere to some city regulations. Once they meet the requirements, each vendor is also allowed to set some of their own rules, as long as they do not conflict with the agreement. With this breathing space and multitude of types and locations, vendors and markets vary greatly in the city.

“If one city market is able to accept to accept LINK and credit cards, then all 24 of our markets should be able to,” Mota said. “People have been vocal about this issue for a couple of years, and we hope to have it worked out with the state for 2009.”

Both among and within the city-affiliated markers, there appears to be confusion about what is or isn’t accepted, which Levin said could begin to deter LINK card users from farmers market experiences.

At the Federal Plaza market, which is held on Tuesdays, a Nichols Farm and Orchard farmer said they accept food stamps and WIC vouchers and even encourage it due to the tight economy. Other famers said they would accept it for certain products, such as the fresh unprepared produce but not baked goods or jams.

Details aside, the market does not even have LINK card equipment.

On Thursday, at the Daley Plaza market, Mark Bsilos, another famer with the Nichols Farm, was unsure about acceptable types of payment. “I think we accept city-issued coupons, because they are easy to process,” he said, “but not WIC or food stamps.” He said about 15 percent of their customers use a city-issued coupon.

Bsilos is not alone in the confusion and said all the markets should accept all forms of payment, especially LINK cards.

“There is a need for farmers markets for everyone, but especially in low-income communities because they are more prone to having sub-standard, good fresh food.” He believes there is a lot of uncertainty and even reluctance to install LINK card programs. “Many farmers feel it’s more trouble than it’s worth,” he said.

SHOPPERS AND SELLERS MISS OUT
Another vendor at Daley Plaza felt that both shoppers and sellers are missing out when a market does not have the ability to accept LINK cards. Robin Schirmer, a vendor for the Midwest Farmer’s Co-op, said that many markets and farmers are just slow to change, but having a variety of payment options increases purchasing power.

“In Oak Park, for example, when they installed a credit card system last year, they saw business increase significantly, especially for more expensive, premium items such as meats,” Schirmer said.

She said markets, like Woodlawn, that respond to all of their customers’ needs are going to have the best success. “Even if they’re not thinking about the community,” she said, “they could really boost their business.”

At the Woodlawn market, at East 61st Street and South Dorchester Avenue, EBT is used, but not credit cards. “The LINK system is really taking off,” said Qaid Hassan, one of the market’s planners who is also involved with the new Englewood market. Customers can also pay with WIC coupons, but their system does not accept credit cards.

With a LINK system, there is generally a central payment location, which contrasts with the more traditional method of paying the vendor directly at their table. In Woodlawn, which attracts many middle-income shoppers in addition to public aid recipients, Schirmer said class distinction is clear. “Obviously, a person at that table or register is using EBT and I wonder if that might create a stigma that may counter what a farmers market is supposed to do.”

However, Schirmer, who is from Maywood and sells at many locations throughout the state, thinks new payment systems are beneficial. “I think LINK systems and credit systems will be the wave of the future.”

This summer, at the new Bronzeville farmers market, shoppers will not be able to use WIC, senior vouchers or LINK cards. “At this point, we do not accept LINK cards,” said market master Zuri Thompson. “Right now, we don’t think we have a real need for it. We have a mixed income level neighborhood, but we will look and see if there’s a need for it this summer.”

Thompson said organizing the market, which will open for its first season on Sunday, has been a difficult task because there are many different channels that groups must go through. She said installing the equipment for LINK cards would require help from many parties, such as the city and a bank, and would be a long process.

According to city-data.com, the median household income for Bronzeville in 2005 was slightly more than $15,000. The community is known for its growing development and gentrification, Hassan said, and echoed Thompson that it is a mixed income community with various economic means.

Fourth Ward Ald. Toni Preckwinkle strongly supported a Bronzeville farmers market and said she was influenced by markets in Hyde Park and downtown. “I am excited about the market because for people, especially for people in areas like North Kenwood and Douglas, it’s an opportunity to get fresh produce,” she said.

When asked about the LINK card option, she said, “We have to see if there’s a need.”

Although Bronzeville’s market will not be able to accommodate LINK or WIC recipients, Thompson said there is a need in the community for fresher foods for everyone. “Here, and many places on the South Side, there is not as much access to healthy foods as there should be,” she said. She herself has to shop outside Bronzeville for produce, and looks forward to the new market option.

THE ENGLEWOOD EXAMPLE
For Englewood residents, they will have the choice of going to a farmers market regardless of their income. Hassan, working with Teamwork Englewood and other community organizations, tried to ensure market accessibility; he said during planning there was debate about whether they would accept LINK cards.

“It was hard to convince and educate some of the people involved to accept LINK cards because they saw it as just too much of a headache,” Hassan said. He said he worked closely with Ald. Toni Foulkes (15th) and used the Logan Square market as an example to show organizers that it was a feasible, and necessary, feature for the market.

“Even though some of these organizations say they’re committed to community development, at least in their mission statements, the processes for making this a market that really served Englewood was tough,” Hassan said. “Sometimes they didn’t see the big picture.”

Hassan said he was disappointed to learn that Bronzeville is not accepting LINK or WIC, especially since they have a history dedicated to fighting for equity. He said he used Green City, a market on Lincoln Avenue, to explain to other market organizers in Englewood that it’s all about opportunity.

“To have the option of using LINK, even if a market doesn’t have the demographics, is great,” Hassan said.

Hassan was happy that market organizers decided to accept LINK cards, and they purchased equipment that accepts public aid and credit cards. He estimated set-up fees and machine costs to be about $500, with a small monthly fee around $10.

Although the costs of installing the system may deter markets, Hassan said basic LINK capable equipment is available for a subsidized price through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which operates food stamp programs, if you can show that is a need in the neighborhood.

“Once you are approved to accept LINK cards, you can submit another application with the USDA and basically get the equipment for free,” Hassan said. “It’s either free, or almost free, but it’s very easy to show that you need it.”

In Englewood, the reported median household income in 2005 was a little less than $21,000, which is almost 33 percent greater than in Bronzeville.

To fight the social and economic problems in communities such as Englewood, some community leaders like Hassan believe farmers markets are a beginning solution. “Markets epitomize real, visceral problems such as the lack of food,” Hassan said. “Food is a way to involve all the residents and an opportunity where people can take reins into their own hands.”

In Logan Square, the farmers market is relatively small, but co-organizer Levin said it has greatly impacted the community. In 2007, the market became the first in Illinois to accept LINK cards. It used to be operated by the city, but the Logan Square Chamber of Commerce took control after the 2006 season.

“The city said they were interested in LINK card acceptance, but the costs were too great and they couldn’t pull it off,” Levin said. “We felt that since Logan Square is mixed income, our farmers market needed to be something that everyone has access to.”

Levin said he and other organizers raised awareness in Logan Square and were able to get sponsorship for the equipment, which cost about $900. He said at first LINK card and credit card business was slow, but it began to pick up toward the end of the season.

“In the last three months [August through October], there were about 50 LINK card sales, totaling around $500,” Levin said. He said people may not be aware of the option, but there are also generally higher prices at farmers markets. Nonetheless, he said it is an essential option for residents.

“I expect business will definitely increase this summer, as word spreads that we accept LINK cards,” Levin said.

Logan Square’s accessibility is something that can be achieved throughout the city, Hassan said. He said educating everybody in the neighborhood about food could solve social problems, not just about health or money. “If folks at the bottom, for lack of a better term, can reinvent themselves through something as simple as food, then they have chance to reinvent their sense of dignity, which benefits everybody,” he said. “Then, other problems will be easier.”

Hassan said he hopes farmers market will bridge the connection between better eating and better living in many impoverished, ethnic communities and even change people’s perceptions.

“I hope that when I pass a guy on 61st and Halsted, with his baggy jeans and he fits a stereotype, I know he’s eating healthy and can grow a tomato that’s out of this world,” he said.

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SIDEBAR

Supporters say markets mean more money,
but more benefits

Shoppers looking forward to farmers markets for a break in their grocery bills may be disappointed this season, especially if they rely on a LINK card – food stamps – as their primary source for their food budget.

“Unfortunately, produce prices are on the rise,” said Jose Luis Rodriguez, director of the Community Organizing for Obesity Prevention in Humboldt Park. “It’s already hitting the grocery stores hard, so we expect to see the increase at farmers markets, too.”

Poor harvests, restrictions in world trade and the soaring price of gas are causing food prices to reach record highs, and experts say there is not much relief in sight. The United States Department of Agriculture’s economic research team said the consumer price index for all food is forecast to increase as much as 5.5 percent in 2008. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the prices have increased dramatically since 2003:

• Boneless, center-cut pork chops have increased 124 percent
• Wonder Bread has increased 74 percent
• Rib eye steaks are up 64 percent
• Bananas have increased 41 percent

Even frozen vegetables have increased as much 25 percent. At farmers markets this summer, vendors and directors expect to see prices that are comparable to, if not more than, grocery stores, which is leaving some wondering how LINK card users will be affected.

“For example, last year a vendor was selling musk melons, like cantaloupes, for $3 each,” said Paul Levin, director of the Logan Square Chamber of Commerce and farmers market organizer. “At a store a couple of blocks away, they were going for 99 cents each. If you were a person with severely limited income, say for instance your entire food budget depended on your LINK card, it does not surprise me one bit that you’d go to a store.”

According to Levin, larger stores are very efficient at delivering food, and farmers markets in Chicago face distinct challenges. “Many farmers in our area need to make 12 months of a living during a three-month period in the summer,” Levin said. “Our farmers just can’t charge the same prices as a California grower, who has a year-round growing season.”

Despite higher prices, a January study in the American Journal of Public Health showed that public aid provided for women with low incomes to shop at farmers markets increased fruit and vegetable intake by three servings a day. Participants were given $10 vouchers each week. WIC farmers market voucher recipients in Illinois, however, receive $15 each month.

Many market supporters said people using public aid with tight budgets should still buy at least some of their groceries at farmers market.

“A lot of the produce has better nutrients,” said Qaid Hassan, an organizer for the Woodlawn and debuting Englewood markets. “Especially the prepared goods – breads or cookies at a market won’t have any of the additives, preservatives or extra calories that a Nabisco snack would.”

There are other benefits aside from physical health that several vendors and organizers emphasized. “Farmers market can be a cultural center and place for educational outreach,” Hassan said.

Rodriguez said he wants Humboldt Park residents to learn about the high rates of obesity and related medical problems through free health screenings, cooking demonstrations and even a book fair at their Conuco Market this summer.

“We’ll start with small steps and education, and make sure everyone at least knows it’s important to eat healthy,” Rodrigiuez said. “We need to begin dealing with high food prices and accessibility issues by engaging all of our community members. Then once they learn, they’ll begin to demand certain things, such as fresh and affordable produce, and businesses will respond.”