Program Purchases

Documenting Purchases on Requests for Payments

Please include recipe titles whenever possible. This helps when ingredients are not obviously related to the lesson.  For example, "chocolate chips" purchased for "bean lesson" may not make sense to a program auditor without a recipe title. 

Example:

Recipes sampled should reflect the Dietary Guidelines (fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, lean protein) and support the key behavioral outcomes. Though there is room in every diet for unhealthy food, FNP's primary responsibility is to demonstrate how healthful recipes can taste good. Eating discretionary calories is not something that any American needs to be taught.

Allowable and Unallowable Expenses

MATERIALS

Allowable

• The purchase of nutrition education and promotion materials that address SNAP-Ed topics and are for use with persons eligible for the SNAP.

Unallowable

• Any material that endorses or promotes brand name products or retail stores.

• Negative written, visual or written expressions about specific foods, beverages, or commodities.

FOOD PURCHASES

Allowable

• Cost of food for recipe/taste testing purposes and cost of kitchen equipment and supplies necessary for food storage, preparation and display of food prepared for demonstration purposes.

• Food samples associated with nutrition education lessons.

Unallowable

• Providing ongoing snack or food service
• Meal sized portions or complete meal service
• Cost of food provided as groceries or supplemental food
• Refreshments at a training or meeting

 INCENTIVES

Allowable

• Nutrition education reinforcement materials given to SNAP eligibles or persons closely associated with the SNAP containing or conveying nutrition messages and promoting good nutrition practices and increased physical activity.
• If the reinforcement material is designed for physical activity promotion, it should be provided in conjunction with relevant nutrition and physical activity messages.
  

Unallowable

• Distribution of nutrition education reinforcement items that cost more than $4.00.
• Items that have no nutrition education message or items intended for persons who are not SNAP eligible.

GARDENING

Allowable

• Only educational supplies, curricula and staff time to teach gardening concepts that reinforce the beneficial nutrition aspects of gardening are allowable costs.

Unallowable

• The cost of the rental or purchase of garden equipment (fertilizer, tractors), the purchase or rental of land for garden plots, seeds, plants, and other gardening supplies are not allowable SNAP-Ed costs.
• Note that participants may use program EBT to purchase seeds and plants for gardening purposes (but SNAP-Ed cannot).
  

 TRAVEL / PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Allowable

• Travel that provides a direct and clear link to providing quality nutrition education for SNAP recipients and those eligible.
  

Unallowable

• Professional registration or fees paid by individuals are not allowable costs since the fees are considered personal expenses, not institutional expenses.