Executive Summary
Initiatives to Make SNAP Benefits More Adequate
Significantly Improve Food Security, Nutrition,
and Health
T he Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP,
formerly “food stamps”) is the largest nutrition assistance
program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
increase, especially among people with chronic illnesses.
The cost declines were driven by reduced hospital
admissions and, to a lesser extent, reduced length
SNAP has a critical role in reducing food insecurity and in of stay per admission.
improving health, nutrition, and well-being.
n The Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer for Children
demonstration project provided low-income households
SNAP Benefits are Inadequate with children $60 per month in SNAP-like benefits.
The monthly benefits provided by SNAP enhance the food- Among families receiving SNAP before the project
purchasing power of eligible low-income individuals and started, food insecurity among children was reduced
families. However, as described by many studies, including by one-fourth. The demonstration project also had
one by the Institute of Medicine, the greatest shortcoming of favorable impacts on multiple nutrition outcomes among
SNAP is that benefits for most households are not enough to participating children.
get through the entire month without hunger or being forced n Federally funded financial incentives to purchase fruits,
to sacrifice nutrition quality. This limitation persists even in vegetables, or other nutritious foods, which boost
the face of overwhelming evidence on the gains from more the overall purchasing power of SNAP benefits, have
adequate monthly SNAP benefits. improved food security and dietary intake among
SNAP participants.
More Adequate SNAP Benefits
Improve Food Security, Nutrition, Policy Solutions Exist to Improve the
and Health Adequacy of SNAP Benefits
The research is clear: more adequate SNAP benefits To make SNAP a fully effective antidote to food insecurity
improve participant food security, economic security, and a far more effective boost to nutrition, health, and child
nutrition, health, and performance in school. More development and learning, the following actions to improve
specifically, each time Congress has one way or another SNAP benefit adequacy should be considered:
improved the adequacy of SNAP benefits for some or all
n replace the Thrifty Food Plan with the more appropriate
beneficiaries, follow-up research has found positive effects
Low-Cost Food Plan as the basis for SNAP benefits;
for affected program participants.
n eliminate the cap on the SNAP Excess Shelter Deduction;
n The significant, temporary increase in monthly SNAP
benefits from the American Recovery and Reinvestment n raise the minimum SNAP benefit; and
Act (ARRA) of 2009 helped reduce food insecurity by 2.2 n authorize a SNAP Standard Excess Medical Deduction
percentage points and reduce very low food security by for persons who are elderly or have disabilities.
2.0 percentage points among low-income households
between December 2008 (pre-ARRA) and December
The full white paper, available at www.frac.org, briefly
2009 (about eight months post-ARRA).
analyzes why SNAP benefits are inadequate, reviews
n In another of the many studies showing positive effects the body of research showing positive effects from more
of the ARRA boost, inpatient Medicaid cost growth adequate SNAP benefits, and concludes with some of the
significantly declined in Massachusetts after the ARRA key policy solutions that can improve benefit adequacy.
Food Research & Action Center © February 2019 n www.frac.org n @fractweets n foodresearchandactioncenter
