First reported by the New York Times, average benefits for food stamps, part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program program, will grow more than 25 percent, higher than levels from before the pandemic. The increase will take effect on October 1 and apply to all 42 million current food stamp recipients.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, headed by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, officially announced the increase in a press release Monday. The change came after the department reevaluated the Thrifty Food Plan, which is used to calculate benefits for SNAP, according to the release.
“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,” Vilsack said in the release. “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 reevaluation looked at factors such as current food prices, typical American diets, dietary recommendations and the nutritional value of food items. The resulting change came after the reevaluation determined that “the cost of a nutritious, practical, cost effective diet” was 21 percent higher than current allotments from the Thrifty Food Plan, the release said.
“To set SNAP families up for success, we need a Thrifty Food Plan that supports current dietary guidance on a budget,” said Stacy Dean, deputy undersecretary for food, nutrition, and consumer services. “Too many of our fellow Americans struggle to afford healthy meals. The revised plan is one step toward getting them the support they need to feed their families.”
For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below.
The aid boost is being packaged as a major revision of the USDA’s Thrifty Food Plan. In concrete terms, the average monthly per-person benefits will rise from $121 to $157.
The increase is part of a multi-pronged Biden administration effort to strengthen the country’s social safety net. Poverty and food security activists maintain that long-standing inadequacies in that safety net were laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic, presenting an opportunity to make generational improvements that reach beyond the current public health crisis.
Activists say the previous levels of pre-pandemic SNAP assistance simply weren’t enough, forcing many households to choose cheaper, less nutritious options or simply go hungry as the funds ran low toward the end of the month.
