Let’s bring the Restaurant Meals Program to Colorado! By doing so, we can expand food access while boosting local businesses and driving economic growth in our communities.

The Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger is leading advocacy efforts, including a state bill during the 2025 legislative session. And we want you to get involved if interested!

• Endorse our state legislation (organizations only).

• Stay up-to-date on the bill’s progress, including a review of the initial bill draft, or use our policy tracker.

• Find out how and when to take action like contacting your state legislators or providing testimony.

What is the program?

The Restaurant Meals Program (RMP) is an initiative of the U.S. Departement of Agriculture that lets certain SNAP recipients—older adults, people with disabilities, and those experiencing housing instability—use their benefits to buy prepared meals from restaurants. (SNAP stands for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.)

As of June 2024, nine states have adopted this program, making it easier for eligible individuals to access ready-to-eat meals.

What’s being proposed?

During the 2025 state legislative session, we’re proposing a bill that supports future implementation of the Restaurant Meals Program across Colorado. 

It specifically will place the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) on a timeline of submitting a request for authority to run RMP to the USDA’s Mountain Plains Regional Office. Subject to available funding, this legislation could also include resources for CDHS oversight of the program, including staffing, outreach to business owners, and technology infrastructure. 

Proponents of this bill want to ensure that RMP encourages participation from locally-owned and -operated food vendors and prioritizes technical assistance for such business owners to accept SNAP electronic benefits.

What are the benefits of having this program in Colorado?

Successful implementation has the potential to significantly impact Colorado's economy:

• Every dollar spent in local restaurants contributes $2.21 to the state economy, and every additional $1 million spent generates 16.8 local jobs. (Colorado Restaurant Association)

• Each dollar in federally-funded SNAP benefits generates $1.50 in local economic activity. (USDA Economic Research Services)

Availability and awareness of the program will improve food access for Coloradans who are:

• Unhoused or dealing with housing instability

• Living with a disability

• Older adults 

• Spouses of any of the above

Many of these households have difficulty preparing their own meals or may not have the ability to store food ingredients, which can mean they’re not using their full benefit allotments.