SNAP Assistance

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.

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).

Obesity rates in the US are rising due to food insecurity. One in six people in the U.S. are food insecure, while two-thirds of adults and one-third Americans are overweight or obese.14 Studies have found that wealthy districts have three times as many supermarkets compared to the poor.15 Kevin Conocannon of the USDA noted in an interview that people in poorer areas sometimes have narrower variety of food options.16 SNAP recipients face barriers to achieving nutritious diets due to lack of availability in their neighborhood. Healthy food often comes with higher costs, so most people with lower income result to eating foods with lower cost and higher calories. According to a 2009 report by the USDA, as many as 23.5 million Americans live more than one mile from a supermarket with limited access to a vehicle.17 Food Deserts are particularly prevalent in low-income communities.18

In the United State, there is a federal nutrition program for low income people to help food budget and buy healthy food. People who have low income in the United States get the food stamps, also known as “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)”. For every month, eligible people who have low income get benefits deposited in to their EBT account. Once they get food stamp, people can purchase food items including seeds and plants to grow food in their house or backyard. It can be used at a grocery store, a supermarket, a farmer 's market, and a shelter that serves meals. However, with all these great benefits, people still eat unhealthy because of too much time consuming, limited money, some food dessert area, and the benefits allow people to eat junk food.

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

Eighteen percent of America is currently on food stamps. Why is that so? Food stamps allow just about anyone to qualify. Most of those on food stamps are able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) (Hoar). Why is it that so many people are on food stamps? Maybe because it is lenient with its rules. Being on food stamps does not give someone a comfortable and easy lifestyle, but it is comfortable enough. It is no secret that obesity is a growing epidemic in America. Food stamps are one of the major roots of the problem. Imagine getting to stay home and not have to go to work. The government sends checks in the mail to spend on groceries, but it gets better. The government does not prohibit the purchase of junk food. Those people can now indulge

The supplemental nutrition assistance program –SNAP helps families in domestic hunger safety. Most might refer to them as Food stamps. SNAP is helpful for people who need assistance facing poverty. The Hamilton Project says, “This makes it the country’s most critical tool in battling poverty. The program kept 4.9 million out of poverty in 2012.” Many may argue, why are people still being unassisted in receiving SNAP benefits? As Michael Tanner writes in his policy analysis, “Snap is a deeply troubled program that has high administrative costs and significant levels of fraud and abuse” (1). Which leads me to say, it is time for the state to

Some people argue that people go out and buy junk food and pop, rather than meals for their families. But, this is already in the works of being changed. According to, Erica Hunzinger, the Trump Administration is looking to change food stamps; "People who get SNAP would get about half of their benefits in the form of a "USDA Foods package." The package was described in the budget as consisting of "shelf-stable milk, ready to eat cereals, pasta, peanut butter, beans and canned fruit and vegetables" This would help lower welfare fraud as

A History of Food Stamps The primary goal of food stamps is to increase food security and reduce national hunger in the United States. Each year, out of the one trillion dollars that the United States Government has to spend on assistance and welfare, food stamps takes up about 70 billion dollars (The History of NAP). The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP or previously known as the “Food Stamp Program) started through the Agriculture Adjustment Act (AAA) and since then has spread around its influence and authority and grown in size (Mary Clare Jalonick Associated). Throughout the past 80 years, the Food Stamp Program has been modified and reformatted, and today it aids more than 44 million Americans (Rude, Emelyn).

The United States does not spend too much on the food stamp (SNAP program) and no one deserves to go hungry. Every year during budget talks the welfare program is a featured topic as the government explores ways to cut the budget. There appears to be a lot of unnecessary spending due to abuse of the system and program administration complexity. There are many areas in which reforms could be instituted and the program could be expanded without misappropriation of funds.

The United States does not spend too much on the food stamp (SNAP program) and no one deserves to go hungry. Every year during budget talks the welfare program comes up as the government explores ways to cut the budget. There seems to be a lot of unnecessary spending due to things like abuse of the system and program administration. There are many areas in which reforms could be instituted and the program could be expanded without misappropriation of funds.

For example, some people are still uneducated on how the program works, they are unaware of the program, the program does not cure food insecurities, there are restrictions of usage and there is a stigma that gets put on people who receive the benefits. The average citizen looks down upon those who receive benefits even if that individual is hard working. The overwhelming attitude towards SNAP recipients is “they better not be driving a fancy car” or “they should just work harder.” When the fact of the matter is SNAP recipients do not receive that much for food, it is on average $4 per person per day and that is about a dollar per meal. What food can you buy for a family that is wholesome and falls in that budget? It is challenging, but many American do

Food stamps or other words known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP play a critical part in today’s society. More than 46 million American’s rely on food stamps to get through their everyday life. This program kept 4.9 million people out of poverty in 2012 not to mention the over 2 million kids. Food stamps are a voucher from the government for those on low income, exchangeable for food. Many families that have a large number of members, families that only have one single parent responsible for the entire income, or even the disabled which are unable to work rely heavily on this service just to keep food on the table. Furthermore, this is why this

of 2008-2009. For households that struggle to meet their basic nutritional needs, SNAP benefits can relieve hunger and food insecurity. Research shows SNAP participants gain access to more essential nutrients in their home food supply compared to eligible non-participants. Program participation is especially strong among children, and research shows child SNAP participation is associated with a number of positive

With the EBT card comes rules and regulations as to what are SNAP eligible food items. The USDA has put in place a policy of what households can purchase with SNAP benefits at authorized retailers. It is in the interest of the government to endorse a nutritionally adequate diet which is in much need of improvement, however with the federal nutrition assistance program it strives to promote healthy choices. Some would argue that food stamp recipients should be prohibited in purchasing items with limited alimentary value. Nevertheless, there are issues with the feasibility and possible effectiveness of this matter. Some of the typical approved items are breads, cereals, fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, poultry, dairy products, as well as seeds