“Almost 90 percent of people receiving SNAP – the federal food assistance program formerly known as food stamps – are struggling to access healthy food, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) study released Wednesday.
“The nearly 42 million Americans receiving SNAP benefits are one of the most food insecure populations in the country, and more than half responding to a survey said they simply can't afford the kind of nutritious food that makes up a healthy diet, the study revealed. For others surveyed, the top barriers to access included a lack of transportation to a grocery store or the time necessary to cook a healthy meal.”
(Kenzi Abou-Sabe. “Nine out of 10 people who depend on federal food program struggle to access a healthy diet.” NBC News. June 23, 2021.)
Stacy Dean, the USDA's deputy undersecretary for food, nutrition, and consumer services, reports the study indicates that SNAP isn't doing what it's supposed to do.
Dean says, "SNAP benefits are a nutrition lifeline for millions of Americans, so it's vital that the program helps enable participants to achieve a healthy diet amidst the real world challenges they face. The study findings released today indicate that we're not yet there."
SNAP participants were surveyed in 2018 as the result of a 2014 proposal from the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service, based on the idea that more research was needed to understand the barriers to a healthy diet on SNAP. The average SNAP benefit, per person, per meal was about $1.40 at the time of the survey.
During the pandemic, everyone participating in SNAP was bumped up to the maximum benefit of $2 per meal. In March, Congress extended that boost through September as part of the American Rescue Plan. But many experts in food assistance suggested that was merely a Band-Aid.
SNAP Benefits
Your household must meet certain requirements to be eligible for SNAP and receive benefits. If a state agency determines that you are eligible to receive SNAP benefits, you will receive benefits back to the date you submitted your application.
To be eligible for this benefit program in Ohio, you must be a resident of the state and meet one of the following requirements:
You have current resources valued at $2,250 or less (examples include savings and checking combined) or
You have current resources valued at $3,500 or less (examples include savings and checking combined) and share your household with one of the following:
a person or persons age 60 and over or
a person with a disability (a child, your spouse, a parent, or yourself).
To be eligible, you must have an annual household income (before taxes) that is below certain amounts:
For example, for a household of 3 in Ohio, you must be below $28.548 (before taxes)
* For households with more than eight people, add $5,902 per additional person. Always check with the appropriate managing agency to ensure the most accurate guidelines.
(“Ohio Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.” Ohio Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program | Benefits.gov.)
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 signed by President Joseph R. Biden on March 11, 2021, extends increases to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) maximum allotments from July 1, 2021, through Sept. 30, 2021. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, raised maximum allotments to 115 percent of the June 2020 value of the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) from Jan. 1, 2021, through June 30, 2021.
If you are found eligible, you will receive a notice that tells you how long you will receive SNAP benefits for; this is called your certification period. Before your certification period ends, you will receive another notice that says you must recertify to continue receiving benefits. Your local SNAP office will provide you with information about how to recertify.
The USDA Food and Nutrition Service reports SNAP benefits may be used for the following:
Any food for the household, such as
Fruits and vegetables;
Meat, poultry, and fish;
Dairy products;
Breads and cereals;
Other foods such as snack foods and non-alcoholic beverages; and
Seeds and plants, which produce food for the household to eat.
Households CANNOT use SNAP benefits to buy
Beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes, or tobacco
Vitamins, medicines, and supplements. If an item has a Supplement Facts label, it is considered a supplement and is not eligible for SNAP purchase.
Live animals (except shellfish, fish removed from water, and animals slaughtered prior to pick-up from the store).
Foods that are hot at the point of sale
Any nonfood items such as:
- Pet foods
- Cleaning supplies, paper products, and other household supplies.
- Hygiene items, cosmetics
Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach – director of the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University, Margaret Walker Alexander Professor at the University, and Nonresident Senior Fellow at Brookings – cites research that shows the following:
“SNAP is a highly efficient and effective program. It lifted nearly 5 million people out of poverty in 2014 (the most recent data available). SNAP is targeted efficiently to families who need benefits the most, reduces the likelihood that families have trouble affording food, and serves as an automatic fiscal stabilizer in times of economic downturns.
“It has extremely low rates of both error and fraud. SNAP also has long-term benefits to children. My own recent research study found that those who had access to SNAP benefits during childhood were more likely to graduate from high school, grew up to be healthier, and women in particular were more likely to become economically self-sufficient due to childhood access to SNAP benefit.”
(Sherman, Arloc. 2015, September 16. “Safety Net Programs Lift Millions From Poverty, New Census Data Show.” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Washington DC.)
(Institute for Research on Poverty. 2015, November. “SNAP, Food Security, and Health.” Policy Brief No. 8, Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI.)
(Rosenbaum, Dottie. 2014, July 2. “SNAP Error Rates at All-Time Lows.” Report, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Washington, DC.)
A key reason for SNAP’s success is that it relies on the private sector to provide efficient access to food, through grocery stores and other retail outlets. Schanzenbach also says, “Generally, economists advise policymakers not to interfere in the private market unless there is a compelling reason to do so – such as a market failure or another inefficiency that would be improved through government intervention.
In the case of SNAP, the fundamental problem the program is meant to address is not a market failure, but is instead a lack of resources available to purchase food. Government assistance is needed because some families, generally temporarily, do not have adequate resources to purchase enough food to sustain an active, healthy lifestyle.
When they receive SNAP, participating families have more resources they can use to purchase groceries. Once the fundamental problem of resource adequacy is addressed, recipients can interact with the private market to obtain the food they need.
Schanzenbach believes additional restrictions on SNAP purchases will undermine the effectiveness and the efficiency of the program.
(Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach. “Pros and cons of restricting SNAP purchases.” Brookings. February 16, 2017.)
However, Schanzenback also cites better policy options that are more likely to improve the diets of SNAP recipients, particularly when you consider that, over the past decade, fresh fruits and vegetables have become relatively more expensive compared to foods that are considered less healthy. In response, market-based policies can increase the affordability of healthy foods and provide incentives for low-income families to purchase them.
Schanzenbach says …
“One approach that merits further consideration is the USDA’s randomized controlled trial of the Healthy Incentives Pilot in Massachusetts. This pilot program gave SNAP recipients an immediate 30-cent rebate for every dollar they spent on a narrowly defined group of fruits and vegetables. In response to this price rebate, consumption of the targeted healthy foods increased by 25 percent.
“In recent years, many local areas and even a few states have taken a similar approach by awarding bonus dollars for benefits used at farmers’ markets, allowing recipients to stretch their food budget farther when they buy fresh produce. To date, these programs have been successful. Exploring ways to replicate or scale these types of programs nationally would provide a more constructive and effective path forward toward achieving the goal of increasing healthy food consumption by SNAP recipients.”
(Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach. “Pros and cons of restricting SNAP purchases.” Brookings. February 16, 2017.)
Another success? A state SNAP-Ed curriculum called Body Quest applies what Sondra Parmer, the administrator of SNAP-Ed programs for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, calls “multilevel intervention.” It has had a significant impact on children and families since its launch in 2010.
SNAP-Ed is a companion program that provides comprehensive nutrition education to many of the same families, who may be struggling to put together healthy meals on a limited budget.
“When we look at the data for the program, we can say with certainty—because we’re comparing a treatment and a control group—that because of Body Quest, these kids are eating better,” said Parmer.
Now, a new study has aggregated data across eight states in the Southeast to evaluate the broader impact of programs like these for the first time. Published in the Journal of Nutritional Science at the end of September 2020, the study found adults and children in SNAP-Ed programs are more likely to make a number of positive behavior changes, including eating more fruit and vegetables.
(Lisa Held. “Nutrition Education is Helping Low-Income Families Eat Healthier.” Civil Eats. October 20, 2020.)
Conclusion
We all feel pressure to eat healthier food. As fast food outlets offer cheap meals and as more and more people work, money and time enter into the equation. I can't imagine how a poor family feeds itself these days. Groceries are so costly and working parents have very little time to prepare food for their active families.
Still, it is very troubling to hear that so many people that receive public assistance are suffering. Uncle Sam's help in properly feeding the population reaps tremendous benefits. Strengthening SNAP and reducing food insecurity for the more than 42 million Americans that receive nutritional assistance on a monthly basis is a smart public investment that will improve both public health and economic growth.
In a nation of 331.5 million, between one-seventh and one-eighth of the people need a little boost in their food dollars to survive. We should continue to help them find answers to their nutritional problems. We can and we should do a better job.
Dispelling One Final Myth – Work and Benefits
SNAP has two sets of work requirements. If you are age 16 – 59 and able to work, you will probably need to meet the general work requirements to get SNAP benefits. The general work requirements include registering for work, participating in SNAP Employment and Training (E&T) or workfare if assigned by your state SNAP agency, taking a suitable job if offered, and not voluntarily quitting a job or reducing your work hours below 30 a week without a good reason.
You are excused from the general work requirements if you are any one of these things:
Already working at least 30 hours a week (or earning wages at least equal to the federal minimum wage multiplied by 30 hours)
Meeting work requirements for another program (TANF or unemployment compensation)
Taking care of a child under 6 or an incapacitated person
Unable to work due to a physical or mental limitation
Participating regularly in an alcohol or drug treatment program
Studying in school or a training program at least half-time (but college students are subject to other eligibility rules).
(“SNAP Work Requirements.” USDA Food and Nutrition Service.)
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