Food-stamp recipients would buy more nutritious foods, notably vegetables, poultry and fish, if benefits were raised by $1 a day or 24 percent, says a study commissioned by the think tank Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. Higher-quality diets “may yield better long-term health outcomes,” said the think tank.
Congress has taken a more austere approach to federal nutrition programs. The 2014 farm law called for an $8-billion reduction in food-stamp spending over 10 years, smaller than $40-billion-cut sought by conservative Republicans. Bills awaiting a vote in the House and Senate would update child-nutrition programs but not provide additional funds.
An increase in food-stamp benefits, which are adjusted annually to reflect inflation, “would not only increase low-income household spending on food but also improve the nutritional quality of their diets,” said the think tank. At present, the families spend as much as an additional $20 a week on groceries in addition to food-stamp benefits. With a $30 increase, families would spend an additional $19 per person per month on food, because some of the household income would be freed for utilities and other expenditures not covered by food stamps.
At latest count, 44.3 million people received food stamps with an average benefit of $126.26 per month. Enrollment has declined for four months in a row.