In August, the US Department of Agriculture reevaluated the Thrifty Food Plan. The Thrifty Food Plan is the system used to determine the benefits families receive through the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the food stamp program. The changes to the Thrifty Food Plan increase benefits by more than 25% for the 42 million program participants. These permanent benefits go into effect on October 1.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said, “A modernized Thrifty Food Plan is more than a commitment to good nutrition – it’s an investment in our nation’s health, economy, and security. Ensuring low-income families have access to a healthy diet helps prevent disease, supports children in the classroom, reduces health care costs, and more. And the additional money families will spend on groceries helps grow the food economy, creating thousands of new jobs along the way.”
The effectiveness of the Thrifty Food Plan was predicated on buying groceries and cooking in bulk. However, this process consumes much time, and many participants in this program do not have that luxury. Additionally, the meal plan was adjusted over the years according to inflation. However, this is not an accurate way to determine benefits. The revised plan aims to address these two main problems.
The changes to the program are based on information from the 2018 Farm Bill, a proposal that strengthened farm support programs, conservation programs, and crop insurance. Information about current food prices, the American diet, and nutrition from this bill was largely the basis of the changes to the Thrifty Food Plan. Purchasing data, both from stores and self-reported, was also used to create a more realistic Thrifty Food Plan.
Changes to this federal program are part of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’s commitment to end hunger and build sustainable food systems. These changes coincide with other policies, like the Child Tax Credit that pledges $3.5 trillion to reduce child poverty and increasing food security.
Overall benefits from the program are now about $92.2 billion, a nearly $20 billion increase from the past year. In 2020, the average monthly benefit was about $121 per person; it will now be $835. Proteins, vegetables, and fish account for a great portion of these benefits. Still, it is unclear as to whether this amount will be adequate.
These changes to the Thrifty Food Plan were absolutely vital. As 1 in 8 people in the United States are members of SNAP, revising the program to reflect consumer habits and time management was overdue.
In Kansas and Missouri, about 7% and 11% of the population are SNAP recipients. In 2019, a study by Feeding America found that 1 in 6 Missouri children go hungry every day. Rural residents received SNAP benefits at a higher rate than urban residents.
With the COVID-19 pandemic and increase in unemployment rates, food insecurity continues to grow. These facts speak to the great problem of food insecurity in the US. Ways that Barstow students can directly help to combat this problem is by volunteering at local food banks and pantries like NourishKC and Harvesters.
