Expert report questions food stamp adequacy
January 24, 2013 | 10:17 AM
An expert panel assembled by the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council to study the adequacy of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as SNAP or food stamps, released a report last week that said the benefit depends the availability of time to purchase and prepare meals, geographic variability in food prices, and barriers to accessing food outlets.
"This means that a SNAP allotment that is adequate for a household with sufficient time and skill to purchase and prepare many meals from scratch, with easy access to food stores, and living in a relatively low-cost part of the country, may be inadequate for a household without these attributes," the report said.
The report also said that assumptions about how much families spend on food as well how they spend it affect the definition of an adequate allotment, and that the cost of housing, medical care and other living expenses for SNAP households can vary by region.
According to an analysis of the report by Reuters, the panel found that:
The 16-month lag time between when the government assesses the cost of food and when it adjusts benefit amounts accordingly can significantly reduce the purchasing power of SNAP allotments
The dearth of affordable supermarkets in many cities means that urban dwellers, who represent a high proportion of those in poverty, must pay more for healthy foods and
As family incomes rise, the government reduces their benefits too sharply.
The Agriculture Department had asked the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council to consider whether it is feasible to objectively define the adequacy of SNAP allotments that meet the program goals and, if so, to outline the data and analyses needed to support an assessment.
USDA has said it will study the report and use it in setting its research agenda.
The Institute of Medicine was set up under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to provide independent, objective, evidence-based advice to policy makers, health professionals, the private sector, and the public.
"This means that a SNAP allotment that is adequate for a household with sufficient time and skill to purchase and prepare many meals from scratch, with easy access to food stores, and living in a relatively low-cost part of the country, may be inadequate for a household without these attributes," the report said.
The report also said that assumptions about how much families spend on food as well how they spend it affect the definition of an adequate allotment, and that the cost of housing, medical care and other living expenses for SNAP households can vary by region.
According to an analysis of the report by Reuters, the panel found that:
The 16-month lag time between when the government assesses the cost of food and when it adjusts benefit amounts accordingly can significantly reduce the purchasing power of SNAP allotments
The dearth of affordable supermarkets in many cities means that urban dwellers, who represent a high proportion of those in poverty, must pay more for healthy foods and
As family incomes rise, the government reduces their benefits too sharply.
The Agriculture Department had asked the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council to consider whether it is feasible to objectively define the adequacy of SNAP allotments that meet the program goals and, if so, to outline the data and analyses needed to support an assessment.
USDA has said it will study the report and use it in setting its research agenda.
The Institute of Medicine was set up under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to provide independent, objective, evidence-based advice to policy makers, health professionals, the private sector, and the public.
