by Tom Roberts, Maine Federation of Farmers’ Market
EIN – Employer’s Identification Number, functions in many ways like a Social Security Number for a business or an organization. Farmer’s markets run by city or county governments may use an Employer’s Identification Number instead of a Social Security Number (SSN) on their application for approval by FNS to accept SNAP.
FNS – Food and Nutrition Services is the department in the USDA that administers SNAP and other food assistance benefits redeemed at farmers markets.
SNAP – Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a federal benefit program run by the USDA that provides food assistance to eligible, low-income people. It is intended to supplement not provide all food/nutrition resources for those who qualify.
EBT – Electronic Benefit Transfer, the system that allows SNAP benefits to be redeemed via an electronic card similar to a debit card.
Scrip – The paper receipt, wooden or plastic token given to a SNAP customer after they swipe their EBT card; can be used like cash at the market in exchange for allowed food items. Scrip is required at markets as SNAP customers cannot exchange their benefits for cash. Using scrip allows them to receive tokens that represent cash in the market. Many markets also use scrip for credit/debit sales. Markets that use scrip for both EBT and credit/debit sales must use separate tokens for these 2 types of transactions. Most markets use $1 tokens for EBT sales, and $5 tokens in a different color for credit/debit transactions. This makes it easier for vendors to tell the two tokens apart, which they must be able to do as sales made with EBT tokens cannot be given change (as that is considered giving cash for SNAP benefits).
POS Terminal – Point of Sale terminal that can accept EBT cards; some POS terminals can also be contracted to accept credit and/or debit cards.
Quest – EBT cards are processed using the Quest network, which is similar to a credit/debit card processor.
Manual EBT Voucher – A carbon copy form signed by the EBT cardholder that allows market management to accept EBT benefits through telephone verification; used most often with markets that have a wired terminal but no immediate access to electricity/phone line or when wireless terminals are not operational.
SNAP Incentive Program – Many markets that accept SNAP also raise funds to match SNAP purchases, allowing SNAP shoppers to stretch their food budgets and making farmers market foods more affordable.
Credit: Tom Roberts, Board Member, Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets, and Farmer, Snakeroot Organic Farm in Pittsfield, ME