Low socio-economic status and its correlates, such as lower education, poverty, and poor health, affect our society as a whole. Inequities in wealth distribution, resource distribution, and quality of life are increasing in the United States and globally. There are many ways to fight this reality, and some a far simpler and more practically applied than others. One smart and simple change may be adapted immediately. It has the possibility to drastically impact the quality of life with those of lower socio-economic status. The proposed change would be to alter the list of foods covered in Americas supplemental nutritional assistance program ( or SNAP), as it could dramatically impact the health of those most likely to suffer from heart disease which is currently the leading cause of death in the United states (AHA). Currently “SNAP benefits can be used to purchase all food products, not including: beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes, or tobacco; any nonfood items; vitamins and medicines; foods that will be eaten in the store; or hot foods” (snap.org). The S.N.A.P. program should instead, be only available for use when paying for healthy foods because this policy change would provide better nutritional, medical and economic value to the U.S. While “everything in moderation” is a commonly used phrase for a healthful diet, it can be very hard for those depending on assistance programs to incorporate healthier, whole, and unprocessed food into their diets. For many that have relied on this assistance for years it is a matter of an incorrect assumption. There is a postulation that processed foods are cheaper and more filling alternatives to healthy food. One study recently quoted in “Fruits, Vegetables Cheaper than Unhealthy Snacks” compared... ... middle of paper ... ... upon this new method. This will certainly not eliminate processed foods from the snap consumer’s diet, but will force them to use their earned income instead of snap benefits, and reevaluate the necessity of processed foods. These alarming facts and statistics shown give proof that some revision of the SNAP program is necessary. Action must be taken not only for the sake of those in need but also for the financial well-being of America. Increasing the amount of whole foods consumed by those of lower income and on S.N.A.P. would undoubtedly change both issues for the better. The policy change would decrease the funds necessary to help those in need by decreasing amount spent on medical assistance programs as well as helping to maximize every dollar spent on food. This seems to be one of the most straight-forward ways of making a change for the better in our country.
Today SNAP is the new name of the federal Food Stamp Program. “SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The name was changed to SNAP to meet the needs of clients, which includes a focus on nutrition and an increase in the amount of benefit received” ("supplemental nutrition,"2011). Another detail about SNAP is its ability to respond to changing needs caused by economic cycles or natural emergencies on the local, state and national levels. It is second to unemployment insurance in its responsiveness to economic changes. SNAP is very helpful to low-income families’ monthly resources, increasing the chance families is able to meet basic needs.
In the summer of 1996, Congress finally passed and the President signed the "Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996", transforming the nation's welfare system. The passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act sets the stage for ongoing reconstruction of welfare systems on a state-by-state basis. The combined programs will increase from nearly $100 billion this year to $130 billion per year in 6 years. Programs included are for food stamps, SSI, child nutrition, foster care, the bloss grant program for child- care, and the new block grant to take the place of AFDC. All of those programs will seek $700 billion over the next 6 years, from the taxpayers of America. This program in its reformed mode will cost $55 billion less than it was assumed to cost if there were no changes and the entitlements were left alone. The current welfare system has failed the very families it was intended to serve. If the present welfare system was working so well we would not be here today.
With more and more people becoming unemployed and applying for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), it is imperative that we understand the benefits as well as problems this causes. Even while researching this topic and talking to some of my family and friends about it, it surprised me the amount of those who do not understand food stamps. Coming from the SNAP website, “Food stamps offer nutritional assistance to millions of eligible low-income individuals and families and provides economic benefits to communities” (United States). This program helps millions of people per year and gives upwards of $75 billion and rising. With the prices of food increasing due to inflation, beneficiaries are receiving around $400 at most per month. Using the Electronic benefit transfer systems (EBT), beneficiaries can buy goods from a grocery store using a credit-card like transaction, which takes the money off of their card. The benefits are received monthly on a specific date and vary in amounts from person to person. One family may receive $300 per month because they have three kids and need the extra money, while another may receive $100 or less depending on financial status. The application process includes completing and filing an application form, being interviewed, and verifying facts crucial to determining eligibility. In the past, these applications did not require a drug screening to get benefits, but more and more states are adopting this. There are many drawbacks to SNAP as well such as taking money from working people’s paychecks every week and people abusing the system. Talking about a very opinionated subject, we must remove bias and answer whether or not the Food Stamp system should be limited.
In recent studies, it was discovered that most of the foods that Americans consumed are foods which had gone through so many processes and thereby losing most of its nutritional values. Unhealthy nutrients are also been added to foods as additive during production to either preserve flavor or enhance its taste and appearance. An individual cannot simply trust what he or she is consuming at a fast food restaurant or even a cheap prepared meal at a grocery store. Processed food or western diet needs to be replaced and totally taken out of the American life and diet; this will help the Americans to live a healthier life, and spend less on medical bills.
Research proves that low-income families will shop wherever the food prices are lower, and generally cannot afford to pay for healthful foods. In comparison to the residents of higher income communities, low-income households normally have diets that are higher in meat and processed foods and often have low intakes of fruits and vegetables. Research suggests that people with low socioeconomic status spend up to 37% more on food. This is because of smaller weekly food budgets in addition to poorly stocked stores. Those with lower income are more likely to spend money on inexpensive fats and sugars versus fresh fruits and vegetables that are more costly on a per calorie basis. Healthy foods like whole grain products are more expensive than high calorie junk foods.
Many families and people have become too dependent on food stamps. “Critics of food stamps and government spending, however, argue that too many families have become dependent on government aid.”(NoteCard #1) But if they did not have this program people would go hungry. “11.9 million people went hungry in the United States”... “that included nearly 700,000 children, up more than 50% from the year before.”(NoteCard #2, Point 2) The program does good and helps people but it also spends a lot of money to get people food stamps. “..food-stamp recipients has soared to 44 million from 26 million in 2007, and the costa have more than doubled to $77 billion from $33 billion.”(NoteCard #5) But in the end, is it worth it? People need the assistance. It does help people from going hungry and keeps them at least with a little food in their stomach to that keeps them from starving. A lot of people who could not get jobs, were eligible for the program because they did not have a source of income. “Critics of food stamps and government spending, however, argue that too many families have become dependent on government aid.”(NoteCard #1) Since not everyone could get work, the government changed the requirements and it went for the better and for the
Nutritionism and Today’s Diet Nutritionism is the ideology that the nutritional value of a food is the sum of all its individual nutrients, vitamins, and other components. In the book, “In Defense of Food” by Michael Pollan, he critiques scientists and government recommendations about their nutritional advice. Pollan presents a strong case pointing out the many flaws and problems that have risen over the years of following scientific studies and government related warnings on the proper amount of nutrients needed for a healthy diet. Pollan’s main point is introducing science into our food system has had more of a negative impact than a positive one, we should go back to eating more of a traditional diet. I believe food science has given us
In an attempt to ensure that food stamps were being used only by those in need of food stamps, there were a few states that implemented a fingerprinting program for food stamp recipients. The fingerprinting program was introduced with the hopes of cracking down on the fraud associated with the food stamp program. The goal was to save tax-payer’s money as well as enforce that those individuals needin...
This SNAP program originates from the latter half of the nineteen-thirties around the Great Depression. One of the worst problems from this era in our history was feeding everyone. SAMP was first introduced in New York in 1939 and they actually used orange and blue stamps, thus creating the term “Food Stamps.” John F. Kennedy helped to fuel the second stage of the process through his campaign. There was pilot program between 1961-1964 filled with studies, reports and legislative proposals”(FNS). “The Federal Food Stamp Act of 1964 is the most significant food plan in the united states” this act started it all. “It provides food stamps for needy individuals that can be exchanged like money in authorized stores” (Cornell). The same year the act was passed “there were 380,000 people in twenty two different states.”
Since the passing of this bill obesity has been on the rise (77.3). Many people on this program will over indulge on food simply because they get a limited amount of money to buy their groceries for the month, and they tend to buy groceries with high sugar and fat. Baum, researched and found that since the food stamp program started, people who were recipients of the benefits became obese. This caused obesity to climb thirty percent, making that a hundred percent increase since 1971
...s around food stamps participants, give marked down produce for participants and limit certain brands of food to be invested in with their benefits.
The SNAP program or Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program is a federal program founded and designed by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) and other state agencies to provide with nutritious and healthy meals to those in need or at a poverty level. SNAP is also designed to alleviate hunger in the United States.(usda.gov)
It was denied but personally I agree with this bill and think it should have been passed, because these kinds of food do not have any value and are not necessities for a person to have. If the government is providing you with ways to feed yourself and your family then buy the quality food, it lasts longer and helps make people stay healthy. People can live without soda, and if they get upset with the bill because they can only by healthy food and drink such as juices and vegetables then they need to come up with the money to buy the extra foods that are unneeded. To qualify for SNAP benefits the base how much you will get or if you can even get any by two test, a resource test looking at your assets, retirement or disability and they also test by income, there is gross monthly income and net monthly income for example a household size of four has to be bringing no more than $2,584 in order for them to qualify for some benefits. After looking at monthly income they look at if you own a car or what bills you may have to pay.
SNAP is a federally funded program that helps thousands of people maintain a healthy diet, without this program, many of these people would be without food. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is a helpful program, that keeps millions of people from starving, however, people tend to overlook that detail because of how much the United States spends on this program every
Proper nutrition is one of the most essential elements to being healthy and living a long life. People deal with food every day, and food has been a part of life since the beginning of civilization. What we eat becomes our diet, and our diet plays a major role in deciding how healthy we are and how well our body functions. Without proper diet, our body cannot carry out the functions it needs to perform. Most people have some common knowledge on what is good and what is bad for the human body to consume. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains are some common items people think of when they think of healthy foods. However, it is not enough just to know what foods are good for your body, it is also important to understand why certain foods are good for you and what they do to help the body function.