12 2 STA T . 111 8PUBLIC LA W 11 0– 2 34—M A Y 22 , 2008 ‘ ‘ (A)INGE NE RAL.— I ncar r yi n gout t h i s su b s e ction , the S ecretary m ay enter into com p etiti v e l ya w ar d ed contracts or cooperative agreements with, or provide grants to, public or private organi z ations or agencies (as de f ined by the Secretary), for use in accordance with pro j ects that meet the strategy goals of this subsection. ‘‘( B )A P PL IC A T I O N.— T o be eligible to receive a contract, cooperative agreement, or grant under this paragraph, an organization shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such informa - tion as the Secretary may re q uire. ‘‘( C ) SELECTION CRITERIA.— P ilot projects shall be evalu- ated against publicly disseminated criteria that may include— ‘‘(i) identification of a low-income target audience that corresponds to individuals living in households with incomes at or below 185 percent of the poverty level
‘‘(ii) incorporation of a scientifically based strategy that is designed to improve diet quality through more healthful food purchases, preparation, or consumption; ‘‘(iii) a commitment to a pilot project that allows for a rigorous outcome evaluation, including data collection; ‘‘(iv) strategies to improve the nutritional value of food served during school hours and during after- school hours; ‘‘(v) innovative ways to provide significant improve- ment to the health and wellness of children; ‘‘(vi) other criteria, as determined by the Secretary. ‘‘( D ) US EO F F U N D S.— F unds provided under this para- graph shall not be used for any project that limits the use of benefits under this Act. ‘‘( 3 ) PRO J ECTS.—Pilot projects carried out under paragraph (1) may include projects to determine whether healthier food purchases by and healthier diets among households partici- pating in the supplemental nutrition assistance program result from projects that— ‘‘(A) increase the supplemental nutrition assistance purchasing power of the participating households by pro- viding increased supplemental nutrition assistance pro- gram benefit allotments to the participating households; ‘‘(B) increase access to farmers mar k ets by partici- pating households through the electronic redemption of supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits at farmers ’ markets; ‘‘(C) provide incentives to authorized supplemental nutrition assistance program retailers to increase the avail- ability of healthy foods to participating households; ‘‘(D) subject authorized supplemental nutrition assist- ance program retailers to stricter retailer requirements with respect to carrying and stocking healthful foods; ‘‘( E ) provide incentives at the point of purchase to encourage households participating in the supplemental nutrition assistance program to purchase fruits, vegetables, or other healthful foods; or
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