Fair Wages for Farmers, Fresh Food for All: Nutrition Coupon Programs Return to Vancouver Farmers Markets
At Vancouver Farmers Markets, we often talk about a simple but ambitious vision: fair wages for farmers, fresh food for all.
Every season, we try to expand that vision through our nutrition coupon programs, which help make fresh, healthy local food more accessible while ensuring farmers and food producers are paid fairly for the food they grow and make.
We’re excited to share that both the Farmers Market Nutrition Coupon Program (FMNCP) and our community-funded Fresh to Families Program are returning for the 2026 season.
Supporting Families and Strengthening Local Food Systems
Nutrition coupon programs do more than help families access healthy food. They also create meaningful economic support for local farms and food businesses.
In 2025, more than $350,000 circulated through Vancouver Farmers Markets through FMNCP and Fresh to Families combined. Every dollar was spent directly with local farmers and food producers, helping strengthen our regional food system while improving food access for hundreds of households. This year, we expect that impact to grow.
In 2026, just the Fresh to Families program will provide $86,400 in nutrition coupons to 200 families experiencing food insecurity, added with the provincial FMNCP, which will continue funding with almost 20 community partners in the city of Vancouver. To help meet increasing demand from our community partners, Vancouver Farmers Markets contributed additional funds with the Fresh to Families program this year by nearly 22% compared to last year.
When families use nutrition coupons at our markets, they can purchase a wide range of fresh, locally produced foods, including fruits and vegetables, eggs, dairy products, meat, fish, nuts, and herbs. The result is a program that supports healthier communities while directing critical revenue to local farms and food businesses.
Welcoming a New Community Partner
This year, we are especially honoured to welcome the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society as a new Fresh to Families community partner.
The partnership expands the program’s reach while helping us deepen our relationships with Indigenous communities in meaningful ways.
Laura Smit, Executive Director of Vancouver Farmers Markets, shares:
“As an organization, we are committed to advancing reconciliation through action, relationships, and accountability. We know that this work is ongoing and that we have much to learn. Partnering with organizations that have deep roots in the community allows us to better understand how farmers markets can contribute to food access, community connection, and belonging.“
Introducing Digital Coupons
Another exciting change for 2026 is the introduction of a digital coupon system for both FMNCP and Fresh to Families participants.
This transition will improve the experience for everyone involved.
For participants, digital coupons offer greater privacy, convenience, and a more dignified experience when accessing nutrition support. For vendors, the new system significantly reduces the time spent handling, sorting, and counting paper coupons at the end of long market days.
The change will also reduce costs associated with printing, distributing, and processing thousands of paper coupons every season. Those savings can be reinvested into the programs themselves, helping deliver even more value to participating families while increasing spending with local farmers and food producers.
An Investment That Benefits Everyone
Farmers markets are a unique infrastructure capable of facilitating the economic impact, which is particularly significant at a time when many small-scale farms and food businesses are facing rising costs, labour challenges, and market uncertainty. By creating reliable purchasing power at farmers markets, nutrition coupon programs provide support that extends beyond individual recipients and helps sustain local food production.
When nutrition coupons are redeemed at farmers markets, families gain access to fresh and nutritious food, local farmers receive fair compensation for their work, and food dollars remain circulating within local communities.
As we enter another busy summer season, we are grateful to the donors, partners, community organizations, vendors, staff, and shoppers who make these programs possible.
Together, we’re helping build a food system that is healthier, more resilient, and more equitable.
“Fair wages for farmers. Fresh food for all.”
That’s a vision worth investing in!
Photo credit: BC Farmers’ Market Name & Emily Lorenz
