ASHS 2025 Conference

Background: Community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs have been found to promote health and nutrition, and consumers frequently cite healthfulness as a motivation for local food purchasing. The CSA model can capitalize on this fact and expand their customer base by partnering with healthcare providers or insurance companies that provide cost-offsets for people to enroll in CSA programs. The purpose of this study was to pilot test the impact of an employer-sponsored cost-offset CSA program. Methods: University of Florida (UF), Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension developed a collaborative partnership between cooperative Extension, local farms, and the UF Human Resources’ Office of Worklife to fund a cost-offset CSA program. Results: Seventy-seven employees purchased a cost-offset CSA membership. Participants were predominantly female (86%) and in staff positions (72%). Roughly a quarter of participants received food assistance (26%). The most prevalent motivations for joining the program were to support local farms (100%) and the local economy (96%). Ninety-two percent of participants joined the program to improve their diet and to eat food that tastes better. Some participants (36%) joined the program because they had been interested in join a CSA anyway. More than 80% of respondents were satisfied with all aspects of the program. Aspects that participants were not satisfied with was the cost of the CSA membership (18%) and the lack of information about the produce included in the CSA (16%). The overwhelming majority perceived that it improved their diet (92%), increased their fruit and vegetable consumption (88%), and increased their ability to cook seasonal produce (88%). Most participants (78%) indicated they would join a CSA again, with 86% saying they would join with the same farm again. Discussion: Feedback from participants was positive, with participants emphasizing personal benefits like weight loss and discovering new foods. Many indicated that this program was more valuable to them than traditional webinars or programs offered by the office of worklife. The farms appreciated that the program connected them with new customers and the ongoing partnership with UF, which has now entered its third year. Collaborative partnerships take time and effort to develop but can yield ongoing benefits for local farms and community food systems.