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By Matthew Rees

Food and Health Fact #114: Shortcomings in the federal food stamp program

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This week's "food for thought" excerpt comes from Big Hunger: The Unholy Alliance Between Corporate America and Anti-Hunger Groups (2017), by Andrew Fisher.

“Historically, SNAP [the federal food stamp program for those with low incomes] has been the nation’s most important program for keeping food insecurity in check and protecting the health of its participants from the maladies of inadequate nutrition. Given the persistent levels of food insecurity in the United States, the nutritional safety net that it provides is sorely in need of enhancement. Yet the poor also face the additional and linked peril of illness, such as diabetes and obesity, associated with the overconsumption of added sugars and ultraprocessed foods. These health challenges frequently impoverish families and can lead to a downward economic spiral as health issues increase absenteeism and diminish work productivity. In addressing these public health matters, SNAP’s impact has been far from ideal. Those who claim that SNAP does not cause obesity or foster unhealthy eating patterns have missed the point: SNAP could and should be doing so much more to foster positive change in this area. . . . SNAP must become a different type of nutrition program, one that addresses not just the health problems associated with underconsumption, but those related to the overconsumption of inexpensive high-calorie low-nutrient foods. The status quo, in which SNAP is linked programmatically and politically to a disease-promoting food system, has created a tremendous missed opportunity to reverse the harm this system has done.”