Food insecurity, or lack of consistent access to enough food, is associated with low intakes of fruits and vegetables (FVs) and higher risk of chronic diseases and disproportionately affects populations with low income. Financial incentives for FVs are supported by the 2018 Farm Bill and United States (U.S.) Department of Agriculture's Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) and aim to increase dietary quality and food security among households participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and with low income. Currently, there is no shared evaluation model for the hundreds of financial incentive projects across the U.S. Despite the fact that a majority of these projects are federally funded and united as a cohort of grantees through GusNIP, it is unclear which models and attributes have the greatest public health impact. We explore the evaluation of financial incentives in the U.S. to demonstrate the need for shared measurement in the future. We describe the process of the GusNIP NTAE, a federally supported initiative, to identify and develop shared measurement to be able to determine the potential impact of financial incentives in the U.S. This commentary discusses the rationale, considerations, and next steps for establishing shared evaluation measures for financial incentives for FVs, to accelerate our understanding of impact, and support evidence-based policymaking.

The USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides food and financial assistance to food-insecure individuals and families. In the midst of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, SNAP benefits evolved. Policy changes and federal legislation expanded SNAP eligibility, raised benefit levels, and introduced program waivers that enabled online ordering to reduce participants' exposure to community-acquired SARS-CoV-2. Although rapid expansion of SNAP benefits in the online space represents significant progress for federal food assistance, changes also introduced unforeseen partiality in how benefits and services were accessed and utilized, as illustrated by 2 populations and regions in the early months of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: low-income older adults in rural Alabama and low-income Hispanic adults in urban California. Opportunities exist to build on the recent progress in SNAP, while also ensuring continued inclusiveness of eligible persons. Efforts should be informed by evidence that supports equitable access to federal food assistance.