Healthy Stamp Program

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers food assistance programs that help provide food for low to no income families. It is their goal to increase food security and reduce hunger by increasing access to food, a healthful diet, and nutrition education for low-income Americans (Caswell, 2013, para. 1). Some of the current nutrition assistance programs include “the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)”(Caswell, 2013, para. 1). SNAP will be the primary nutrition assistance program of the paper at hand. No matter how morally good it is to try to help reduce hunger and increase food security within the United States, there are still many questions regarding issues with SNAP. This paper will be discussing why there is such a strong support for the program, how it helps the United States as a whole, problems with the program, and why some people are against SNAP.

Food stamps are an important component of low-income families’ monthly resources, increasing the chances that families are able to meet basic needs (Ratcliffe, McKernan & Finegold, 2008). This form of food relief dates back to the Great Depression when many Americans lost their jobs and did not have money to feed their families. People were starving while farmers produced abundant crop that could not be sold due to a lack of consumers with buying power (Dorsch, 2013). The Federal Surplus Relief Corporation which was a part of the Agricultural Adjustment Act, bought basic farm goods at low prices and distributed the among hunger relief agencies in different states and local communities (Congressional Digest, 2013).

Studies have shown that healthy diets rich in fruits, vegetables, fish and nuts cost $550 more per year than more unhealthy diets (rich in processed foods, meats, and refined grains) for a person. Such costs can be substantial for lower-income families, as US government grants for the poor are hardly enough to cover meal costs – the average Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program payments amount to under $1.50 per meal. In addition, affordable yet nutritious food is harder to obtain in poorer neighbourhoods, especially for those without an automobile. With geographical and economic barriers, healthy meals are simply just out of reach for these families and it has been shown that children from lower-income households are more likely to be obese than higher-income

SNAP is the foundation of nutrition assistance programs. This program provides over 47 million individuals in nearly 23 million low-income households. The eligibility is not restricted to certain groups of individuals, and because of this, SNAP serves a vast amount of families with children, elderly people, and individuals with disabilities. Others eligible for SNAP include families with adults who work in low-wage jobs, unemployed workers, and those with a fixed income. The SNAP Program assists about 72 percent of people who live in households with children. Nearly 25 percent of households with seniors and individuals with disabilities, are also assisted (Rosenbaum, 2013).

Over 60 million people are obese in the world today. The socioeconomic statuses of the Americans play a major part in the obesity rates across the country. People with higher incomes are less likely to be obese than people with lower incomes. One in every seven preschool-aged children living in lower income areas are obese (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). A 2008 study showed that obesity is highest among American Indian and Alaska Native (21.2 percent) and Hispanic Americans (18.5 percent) children, and it is lowest

Did you know that 17% of Americans in rural areas live below the poverty line, and out of those 17%, 15 million of those individuals are children? (Hunger In America 2014). The month of September was Hunger Action month and many individuals helped raise awareness by taking the Food Stamp (SNAP) Challenge. This challenge consists of an individual living on the SNAP balance of a $6-7 per day budget for food. Many individuals came to the realization that this is a difficult budget, and does not meet the nutritional needs for a family.

As the US national debt nears $20 trillion, government programs are being looked to be cut, one of those being the SNAP program. SNAP is a federal program which offers nutrition assistance to low income families, by use of food-stamps, while also providing economic benefits to communities (“Supplemental”). SNAP is the largest program in domestic hunger safety (“Supplemental”), the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) works with nutrition educators, faith based organizations, and neighborhood organizations to help those eligible for the SNAP program make informed decisions about applying (“Supplemental”). The FNS also works with the retail community and State partners to improve the program’s integrity and administration (“Supplemental”). The SNAP

Obesity is a problem in different areas throughout the world; obesity is a major problem in the United States of America. The food industry in the U.S. has changed. Food is cheaper and easier to access, but food is lower in quality and is massively produced (Kenner, 2008). Food is no longer as hard to come by as it once was and is not as expensive, but healthy food is more expensive and, most of the time, requires trips to the grocery store. In American society today, American are busy and have minimal time to exercise, cooking, or even go to the grocery store. The lower socioeconomic classes are notably affected as a result of individuals and families of lower socioeconomic classes often can’t afford healthy food from local grocery stores

In order to further support low-income communities and improve this population’s health the federal government needs to not only continue with the supplemental food programs they’ve already put in place, but enhance them by considering the barriers and address them. The government can intervene by integrating other components to the programs that further support people and help eliminate the main barrier by providing them direct access to grocery stores and healthier options. In order for government resources to be more effective in areas where there are limited grocery store options in the community, the government could begin by providing transportation services in areas where grocery stores are limited or if any at all. Providing transportation to those who are receiving government resources like WIC and SNAP would allow families to exhaust

The program helps people and families buy food. Eligible people receive a monthly benefit that they can use to buy food, non-alcoholic beverages and food-producing seeds and plants.

The Food Stamp Program, recently renamed Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, has been helping serve the citizens of America since 1939. This program focuses on providing food at a discounted price to those who qualify. The past has helped shaped and grow this government program, however, it has also had to adjust and change due to new demands and the changing demographics of the population. SNAP has allowed Americans to provide themselves and their families with nutritious meals at a discounted price. However, if the newly proposed restrictions are implemented there would be fewer options available and limit the recipient’s purchasing power.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federally funded program that allows low income individuals/families to purchase healthy foods when their food budget does not allow it. In California SNAP is known as CalFresh. This program is overseen by The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) -Food and Nutrition Services (FNS). Stakeholders of SNAP are farmers/producers, grocers, hunger, poverty and public health advocates, Departments of Health or Social Services (state), SNAP offices (local), and participants with gross income below 130% of poverty.1,2

Fortunately, there are several government programs available for families facing food insecurity. One example is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps low-income families afford nutrient rich foods and was formerly known as food stamps (“Supplemental Nutrtion…”, 2017). While this program aids individuals of all ages, there are also programs that are aimed at specific age groups. Another program is the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), which assists low-income elderly individuals above sixty years old and provides them with healthy foods (“Commodity Supplemental…”, 2017). On the other end of the spectrum, the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program allots federal grants for the health care and nutrition

The government provides food subsidies through the Commodity Supplemental Food Program - CSFP, for the elderly who are over 60 years of age and who are low income recipients in need of food to last them throughout the month. The food subsidies of fruit and vegetable intake protects against various common chronic diseases and protects those individuals who have low income that are at risk for poor dietary quality and for low consumption of fruits and vegetables (Herman, Harrison, & Afifi, 2008, p. 98.).

Food stamps are government-issued coupons for low income families. People in America like to take advantage of those coupons and use them for unhealthy food and drinks. In SNAP households, soft drinks are ranked the second highest purchase (Tanner). SNAP is the formerly known program for food stamps. In one study, low income women admitted their babies into a government nutrition assistance program. Researchers confirmed that “The rate of youngsters at risk for obesity fell during the study, from almost 15 percent in 2010 to 12 percent overall in 2014” (Tanner). In that study, the government took control of what food stamps were available, and the obesity rates fell among the families. Additionally, another survey published by SNAP provides a glimpse into the shopping cart of a typical house. As said by a group of Stanford researchers, “Banning sugary drinks for SNAP would be expected to significantly reduce obesity prevalence and type 2 diabetes incidence” (O’Connor). Here, it means, that instead of promoting unhealthy food, the government can give out food stamps that are a healthier alternative for the public . Although this may be true, some people consider that it is society’s responsibility to be healthy. Ryan Schwertfeger, president of the Student Senate concludes, “Those who make healthy choices will have no reason to suffer or worry about those