Reject SNAP cuts in farm bill, says anti-hunger letter
More than 1,400 groups said in a letter to Congress on Tuesday that they "will oppose any farm bill," including the bill approved by the House Agriculture Committee in May, "which proposes cuts in SNAP, including restricting future Thrifty Food Plan benefit adjustments." Progress on the legislation has been deadlocked for weeks over disagreements on SNAP cuts, climate funding, and higher crop subsidy spending.
Fewer children in after-school nutrition programs
With the expiration of pandemic waivers, student participation in after-school meal programs dropped by 23 percent, said the antihunger Food Research & Action Center on Tuesday. With the return to pre-pandemic operations, many after-school programs and meal sponsors continue to struggle with staffing shortages and increased food prices, said FRAC in a report.
Participation in summer meal programs takes a nosedive
An average of almost 3 million children ate lunch daily through USDA's summer nutrition programs last year, a huge decline from 5.4 million a day during summer 2021 with the effective end of pandemic-era operating flexibilities, said the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) on Monday. While lunch participation plunged by 44 percent, breakfast participation plunged by 62 percent, to an average of 1.8 million a day.