Applying Racial Equity to U.S. Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs - Flipbook - Page 16
Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP)
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Overview: Policy, Scope, and Impact
Each month, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps an average of 40 million people living in
households that struggle to put food on the table.39 The Urban Institute analyzed U.S. Census data over a 10-year period
and found that SNAP reduced food insecurity by roughly 30 percent and very low food security by 20 percent.40 (See
glossary for terms in bold).
SNAP benefits are based on household size. The program targets individuals and
families most in need of support, and 92 percent of SNAP benefits go to households
“Over a 10-year
with incomes at or below the poverty line (which, in 2018, was $20,780 for a family
period, SNAP reduced
of three).41 Almost 60 percent of benefits go to households in deep poverty (with
food insecurity by
incomes of half or less of the poverty level, or $10,390 or less for a family of three
in 2018).42 USDA reports that SNAP participation is associated with a lower risk of
roughly 30 percent.”
being food insecure,43 44 and it contributes to reducing the severity of hardship for
millions of people in the United States.45
Although SNAP is technically a “supplemental” support, many recipient households rely on SNAP benefits for most or
all of their monthly grocery budget. This is due in part to wage stagnation for many U.S. workers over the past 40 years.46
Stagnant wages affect lower-paid workers more than others. The federal minimum wage has remained $7.25 an hour,
despite inflation, for the past decade. Millions of people, disproportionately people of color and women of all races, work in
the 10 lowest-paying jobs in the United States47 (see glossary).
The next two sections grapple with equity issues associated with SNAP, as well as block grant nutrition programs for U.S. territories and a
commodities program for Indigenous communities.
Figure 3: Percentage of Households Receiving SNAP by Poverty Threshold
Households with incomes above poverty line
8%
92%
Households with incomes at
or below the poverty line
SOURCE: https://www.cbpp.org/research/policy-basics-the-supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap
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APPLYING RACIAL EQUITY TO U.S. FEDERAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS: SNAP, WIC AND CHILD NUTRITION
