The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

The demographic characteristics of the senior population has been changing over time. The rise in diversity and the geographic placement of seniors can provide an opportunity to examine their use of the social program SNAP. Characteristics of food insecurity such a geography and race correlate with higher rates of food insecurity and as these same characteristics continue to grow in the senior population. Since seniors have the lowest rates of SNAP participation versus other age groups, and their rates of food insecurity continue to grow it is important to examine what characteristics impact the likelihood of SNAP take up among this population.

In 1997, there were many changes to the Food Stamp Act. Some of these changes includeed the dismissal of the requirement that applicants purchase the stamps, the “elimination of the requirement that participants purchase the stamps; the establishment of uniform national standards of eligibility; the expansion of the program to minority communities; more federal support for the implementation of the program at the state level; and restricted access to benefits for students enrolled in a university.

Millions of Americans struggle with money every day so they have to lean on government support to get by. Important aspects of the Food Stamp Program, or otherwise known as Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the amount of money funded to each family, the time frame recipients have to participate in SNAP and what the program offers within that certain budget. With the budget provided by the government, some families still do not live comfortably. Parents are

It’s important to realize The SNAP program which actually uses debit cards, provides modest but crucial aid to families in need. SNAP recipients are ripping off the government for millions of dollars by illegally selling their benefit cards for cash sometimes even in the open, on eBay or Craigslist and then asking the government for replacement cards. In addition, several studies have found a correlation between SNAP participation and increased body mass among adult women. “The U.S. Department of Agriculture's 2008 review of available research found that while use of food stamps didn't increase obesity among children, adult men, or the elderly, studies show adult women are 2 to 5 percent more likely to become obese if they receive food stamps for more than a year (Huffington Post)”.

In the following paper, the topic of food stamps or the official name Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) which is defined on the government website as “SNAP offers nutrition assistance to millions of eligible, low-income individuals and families and provides economic benefits to communities. SNAP is the largest program in the domestic hunger safety net”.(2017) The argument in the paper is the fighting for or against the continuation of SNAP within the United States of America. Some main points that will be covered in this essay are if SNAP should be continued, should or should not there be an increase in the amount of money given to people on welfare and food stamps, and should the government drug test people that want food stamps.

The start of the Food Stamp Program, now known as SNAP, began after the Great Depression in 1939 (Caswell, & Yaktin, 2013). Henry Wallace, Secretary of Agriculture, and Milo Perkins, the program’s first Administrator, are among the most notable people in starting the program (USDA, 2017b). The main goal of the Federal Surplus Relief Corporation, a nonprofit and noncapital corporation, was to encourage the consumption of surplus food in the United States as a form of unemployment benefit. This program entailed people to purchase orange stamps for $1, up to the amount they usually spent on groceries, for every dollar they spend they received blue stamps worth 50 cents. Blue stamps were used to purchase foods that the USDA said to be in surplus; orange stamps

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, was introduced in 1939 to alleviate poverty and hunger in the United States. The main purpose of the program is to help people with low-income to afford nutritious diet by elevating their purchasing power (Cuunyngham et al., 2006). In 1943, when the economic situation stabilized the subsidies were stopped. However, the Senate kept on discussing the possibilities of their reintroduction. The government faced difficulties while deciding who should benefit from this help. Eventually, in 1961 FSP was launched again and soon became one of the leading social welfare programs. In 1965, the number of beneficiaries reached half a million (Cunnyngham & Castner, 2009). By 1971 this number increased to 10 million and when this figure jumped to 15 million in October 1974, SNAP became the most fast-growing nation-wide food program. In the late 90s of the XXth century, paper coupons were driven away by the debit cards that circulated in a special system EBT, and therefore in 2008 the name of the program disappeared together with coupons. Finally, in 2011 about one in seven Americans was served by SNAP.

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.

In regards to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the purpose of the organization could be described as insuring that eligible, low-income individuals and families have access to nutritional and economic benefits. According to the United Stated Department of Agriculture, SNAP is the largest program in the domestic hunger safety net (USDA, 2016). The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) assists state agencies, nutrition educators, neighborhood, and faith-based organizations to ensure that those deemed eligible for nutritional assistance are able to make informed decisions in regards to applying for the program and are able to access benefits. The FNS also works with state partners and the retail community

The article, SNAP, WIC, EBT — What’s the Difference? by Anna John, states that the goal of the program became to not only fill the basic human need of food and clean water, but also to “help recipients maintain healthy diets by making relatively expensive items like fresh fruits and vegetables accessible to those with low incomes” (John, 2011). She goes on to report that in February of 2011, 44 million people were receiving federal dollars for their food budgets- over 4 million more Americans compared to the same month in

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

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has become an immense support for food insecurity, particularly in low-income families in our country. The SNAP program has been initiated to reduce hunger during economic crisis and has become crucial in helping its participants to meet their dietary needs (Blumenthal, 2012 pg.50). However, there is a main concern is that SNAP participants are also at risk for developing obesity and other chronic disease. The SNAP program finds that the obesity epidemic is associated with huge economic burdens on medical cost, if not addressed at right time. The Farm Bill containing SNAP program was signed into law in February, 2014 after intense debate on its effectiveness and efficiency (Farm Bill, 2014). During the debate, the congressional legislation addressed the importance of healthy eating for participants to receive proper nutrition in their diet (Blumenthal, 2012 pg.50). The policy reports that SNAP program will focus on food insecurity and also provide health outcome for obesity among participants. This policy needs to be modified to expand other nutrition assistance program for SNAP participants to select healthy food choices. Such an educational program would benefit most states offering nutrition information to assist SNAP participants to eat healthier and be physically active.

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 SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and WIC (Women, Infants, Children) programs both have similar jobs. Both programs attempt to help feed struggling families. In the past SNAP allowed members to purchase food staples and prepackaged food, but a recent bill is being made in order to address these rules. These changes will deactivate members’ abilities to purchase prepackaged food, and has limited them to purchase only food staples. These food staples included foods such as rice, bread, fruits, etc. While the desired new rules for SNAP are similar to the current rules of WIC, the bill will also attempt to allow members of WIC to purchase white potatoes in addition to their food staples. Multiple commodities’ economic standing will experience larger impacts on supply and demand from this proposed bill’s changes and implications.

assistance to low income individuals and families. An estimate of 1.8 million New Yorkers and a total of 46.3 million Americans participate in the SNAP program. Despite the large number of individuals on food stamp the Census Bureau reports in 2010 3.9 million people were lifted above the poverty line and 5 million in 2012 all because of the assistance from SNAP. However the federal government has threaten to cut back on the budget for SNAP. In January 2014 the Farm bill was proposed which included an 8.7 million cut to the SNAP program for the next 10 years. Obama later signed the bill into law on February 7, 2014 saying that the Bill would help create more jobs, move the economy forward and give Americans more equal opportunity (Resnikoff 1). Despite the government’s reasons for the budget cut 850 thousand households would be losing an average of 90 dollars per month (Resnikoff 1). This is unfortunate because reports have shown that SNAP is not only an effective federal program but it also has a positive outcome for individuals. Even in the previous statistics, going from 3.9 million to 5 million people lifted above the poverty line in only a two year difference is a significant breakthrough for low income individuals. It is often easy to find yourself falling under the poverty line, but harder to pick yourself back up. Many individuals who are against the program believe that being on food stamps makes an individual more government dependent and takes away the drive for