The U.S. Department of Agriculture increased the maximum SNAP benefit following an update to the Thrifty Food Plan, however, more than one-in-five households still do not receive sufficient SNAP benefits, leaving a gap in covered food costs for millions of families with low-incomes.
Analysis shows that while high food prices are often viewed as an urban challenge, these shortcomings are also experienced in a diversity of geographic locations, most noticeably rural.
Given the potential for SNAP to significantly impact a families’ health and well-being, additional program investments that benefit sufficiency in every county of the United States can be an effective strategy to reduce the number of families who struggle to afford an acceptable diet.
The nonprofit Urban Institute is dedicated to elevating the debate on social and economic policy. For nearly five decades, Urban scholars have conducted research and offered evidence-based solutions that improve lives and strengthen communities across a rapidly urbanizing world. Their objective research helps expand opportunities for all, reduce hardship among the most vulnerable, and strengthen the effectiveness of the public sector. Visit the Urban Institute’s Health Policy Center for more information specific to its staff and its recent research.
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