US SNAP shutdown food assistance pushes millions closer to food insufficiency, study concludes

14 Aug 2023 --- The recent discontinuation of COVID-19-related Supplemental Food Assistance Program (SNAP) emergency allotments (EAs) in the form of cash-like benefits has significantly increased food insufficiency in the US, according to researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine from the University of Pennsylvania.

The researchers compared trends in food insufficiency in states that ended the emergency aid before the federal government’s national cut-off date in March. As a direct result, SNAP recipients, including children, experienced 21% more food insufficiency, the study flags. 

The main goal of SNAP was to combat food insufficiency, which affects about 10% of US households via cash benefits to low-income families. Food insufficiency is more severe than food insecurity, measuring whether a household generally has enough to eat.

“This study shows the severe consequences of reducing SNAP benefit amounts at a time when inflation was causing rapid rises in food prices and is especially important because of upcoming federal negotiations surrounding SNAP’s renewal in the Farm Bill at the end of September,” says Dr. Aaron Richterman, instructor of medicine, division of infectious diseases at Penn and the study’s lead author. 

Millions at risk of food insufficiency
The findings indicate that more than two million additional US households faced food insufficiency when the EAs were discontinued in all the states. The findings were published in JAMA Health Forum.

Penn researchers analyzed data from more than three million survey respondents in the US to assess the impact of losing the SNAP emergency allotment benefits. They focused on experiences in 18 states where the benefits were discontinued earlier than other states resulting from letting their formal public health emergency declarations expire.The SNAP program was established to combat food insecurity in the US.

The cross-sectional study obtained data from the US Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey from August 2020 to February 2023. Primary analyses included all survey respondents. Secondary analyses were restricted to respondents reporting current household SNAP receipt.

“SNAP’s emergency allotments represented the largest-ever increases in benefit amounts for SNAP households. Our findings are particularly concerning given previous research linking food insecurity to numerous poor health outcomes,” says Dr. Harsha Thirumurthy, professor of health policy at Penn and co-author of the study. 

“Reducing SNAP benefit amounts will have far-reaching consequences for public health.” About 28% of respondents lived in states that ended EAs early and 12% reported their household received SNAP. 

Combination of emergencies culminate
A combination of rising inflation and lack of access to the emergency benefits of SNAP influences rates of chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes.

Previous research found that mothers with school-aged children who face severe hunger are 56% more likely to have post-traumatic stress disorder and 53% more likely to have severe depression. 

Diet-related illness has been found to increase the risk of severe symptoms and death from COVID-19, with about two-thirds of hospitalizations in the US connected to obesity, diabetes, hypertension and heart failure. 

In contrast, earlier this year, researchers found that participation in SNAP may help defend against accelerated deterioration of cognition in adults 65 years of age or older.

FRAC opposes SNAP bill
The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) strongly opposes the recent installment of SNAP Nutrition Security Act of 2023, urging Congress to reject the bill and focus its efforts on strengthening benefit adequacy and equitable access instead, which will improve food security and dietary intake.FRAC has called for strengthening the SNAP initiative instead of passing the SNAP Nutrition Security Act of 2023.

The new legislation was introduced in July 2023, aiming to help improve SNAP recipients’ diet quality and collect data on SNAP purchases to identify what products taxpayer dollars are being spent on.

“The bill is a step toward restricting food access for the tens of millions of households who rely on SNAP to put food on the table by requiring the US Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service to collect data on how participants spend their benefits,” explains Luis Guardia, president at FRAC.

FRAC supports the individual’s ability to purchase foods to meet their families’ dietary and cultural needs rather than it being decided by the government within SNAP. They also maintain that SNAP customers should not be treated differently than other consumers based on their payment method. 

“Targeting a specific population creates greater inequity by setting back the strides the program has made in eliminating stigma experienced by people relying on nutrition assistance,” says Guardia.

FRAC believes the bill will create a significant financial burden and is difficult for retailers to implement, especially small or independent grocers in rural areas. In addition, SNAP does not cover a family’s grocery bill; therefore, data collected will not provide an accurate picture of a household’s total grocery bill. 

Meanwhile, the newly-passed US debt ceiling legislation adds work requirements for the SNAP to people aged 50 to 54 while exempting veterans, homeless people and young adults under 24 that recently left foster care. 

By Inga de Jong