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An Examination of the Adequacy of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Benefit Levels: Impacts on Food Insecurity

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  • Gundersen, Craig
  • Waxman, Elaine
  • Crumbaugh, Amy S.

Abstract

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) serves as the primary tool to alleviate food insecurity in the United States. Its effectiveness has been demonstrated in numerous studies, but the majority of SNAP recipients are still food insecure. One factor behind this is the difference in food prices across the country—SNAP benefits are not adjusted to reflect these differences. Using information from Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap (MMG) project, we compare the cost of a meal by county based on the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP)—which is used to set the maximum SNAP benefit—with the cost of the average meal for low-income food-secure households. We find that the cost of the latter meal is higher than the TFP meal for over 99 percent of the counties. We next consider the reduction in food insecurity if, by county, the maximum SNAP benefit level was set to the cost of the average meal for low-income food-secure households. We find that if this approach were implemented, there would be a decline of 50.9 percent in food insecurity among SNAP recipients at a cost of $23 billion.

Suggested Citation

  • Gundersen, Craig & Waxman, Elaine & Crumbaugh, Amy S., 2019. "An Examination of the Adequacy of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Benefit Levels: Impacts on Food Insecurity," Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 48(3), pages 433-447, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:agrerw:v:48:y:2019:i:3:p:433-447_5
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    Cited by:

    1. Trey Malone & K. Aleks Schaefer & Felicia Wu, 2021. "The Razor's Edge of “Essential” Labor in Food and Agriculture," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 43(1), pages 368-381, March.
    2. Fitzpatrick, Katie, 2024. "Non-bank credit and food hardship: The association between payday loans, pawn loans, rent-to-own contracts and food hardship in households with children," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    3. Yingru Li & Dapeng Li & Christian King, 2022. "Food Insufficiency among Job-Loss Households during the Pandemic: The Role of Food Assistance Programs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-14, November.
    4. Jun Zhang & Yanghao Wang & Steven T. Yen, 2021. "Does Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Reduce Food Insecurity among Households with Children? Evidence from the Current Population Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-15, March.
    5. Santos, Mateus Rennó & Testa, Alexander & Weiss, Douglas B. & Jackson, Dylan B., 2022. "County jail incarceration rates and food hardship in the United States," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    6. Davis, George C. & You, Wen & Yang, Yanliang, 2020. "Are SNAP benefits adequate? A geographical and food expenditure decomposition," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    7. Megan M. Reynolds & Patricia A. Homan, 2023. "Income Support Policy Packages and Birth Outcomes in U.S. States: An Ecological Analysis," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 42(4), pages 1-24, August.
    8. Michelle Sarah Livings & John Wilson & Sydney Miller & Wändi Bruine de Bruin & Kate Weber & Marianna Babboni & Mengya Xu & Kenan Li & Kayla de la Haye, 2023. "Spatial characteristics of food insecurity and food access in Los Angeles County during the COVID-19 pandemic," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 15(5), pages 1255-1271, October.
    9. Destiny Treloar & Dorceta E. Taylor & Ashley Bell, 2024. "Understanding Food Insecurity and Participation in Food Assistance Programs among Hispanic/Latino Residents of Hialeah, Florida, before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-52, September.
    10. Christopher B. Barrett, 2021. "Overcoming Global Food Security Challenges through Science and Solidarity," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 103(2), pages 422-447, March.
    11. Codjia, Clement Olivier, 2022. "Impacts of In-Kind Transfers Size Boosts on Eligible Food Expenditures in the United States," International Journal of Food and Agricultural Economics (IJFAEC), Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University, Department of Economics and Finance, vol. 10(4), October.

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