New York State says Flower City Produce, a longtime vendor at the Rochester Public Market, faces permanent disqualification from the FreshConnect program after regulators flagged five alleged violations — including the fact that the state classifies the business as a grocery store rather than a farmers' market stand. The business has appealed and is still accepting FreshConnect vouchers while that appeal plays out.
According to WHEC, the state's letter outlined five violations, chief among them that Flower City Produce operates inside a building at the Public Market rather than at a table under a shelter — a distinction the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets says makes it ineligible for FreshConnect, which exists to connect SNAP recipients with fresh food from farmers' markets and farm stands. The department told WHEC that FreshConnect vendors must sell SNAP-eligible foods at a farmers' market or farm stand in New York State to qualify for the checks.
The state did leave a door open. It encouraged Flower City Produce to accept FreshConnect checks at its Rochester Public Market farmers' market stall during appropriate market hours, and said it would continue working with the business to make sure it uses the program properly. The department also noted that this was the only disqualification letter it issued in Rochester this year, though it sent three similar letters to vendors elsewhere upstate.
Owner Says Decision Came at a Bad Time
Sam Lentine Jr., connected to Flower City Produce, said the decision baffled the business, especially given ongoing economic hardship and the difficulty many families already have feeding themselves. He said people would immediately suffer as a result of the state's decision. The business itself maintains that it serves impoverished residents, supports local farmers, drives foot traffic to the Public Market, and meets the program's underlying goals.
The business's history at the market has been reported differently over time. WHEC described Flower City Produce as having opened five years before its report this week, while Spectrum News reported in 2023 that the business had been open since 1970, noting that the food distributor started selling directly to the public during the pandemic and runs a retail store at the Public Market six days a week. It's not clear from available reporting whether those two timelines describe the same operation or separate milestones in the company's history.
Local Voices Push Back
Donald Stevens, a pastor at Helping Hand Missionary Baptist Church, told WHEC that many of his congregants buy fresh food at Flower City Produce and that losing access to FreshConnect coupons would be a hardship for the area. The Rochester mayor, in a letter obtained by News10NBC reporter Berkeley Brean asking the state to reconsider, described Flower City Produce as a critical component and market vendor and called the state's decision a disservice to the community.
WHEC also reported that a third of families in Rochester and one out of every two children live below the poverty line, underscoring why losing a FreshConnect-eligible vendor near the Public Market matters to supporters. A food desert map cited in that reporting shows that neighborhoods surrounding the Rochester Public Market already lack access to fresh food. The City of Rochester's food-system data hub, which supports the city's Community Food System Plan, offers broader mapping and data tools related to food access across the city.
For now, Flower City Produce remains open and continues accepting FreshConnect vouchers as its appeal moves forward. The state has said it intends to keep working with the business to find a way for it to use the program properly, even as it maintains that the vendor's current setup inside a building disqualifies it under program rules.
