WASHINGTON D.C. – At a time when Congress is contemplating cuts to SNAP benefits of up to 20%, a panel of food policy experts meeting last week found reasons to be hopeful that bipartisan collaboration could bolster other aspects of federal food assistance.
The panel, speaking at the Consumer Federation of America’s National Food Policy Conference, identified positive momentum around such innovations as nutrition incentive programs, online SNAP, and making hot foods eligible for SNAP. They also noted that states are getting active in food policy, introducing bills that run the gamut – from expanding universal free school meals, to restricting certain foods from SNAP, to removing food dyes from school meals.
“It does feel like 2025 will be potentially a pretty big year for the federal food assistance programs we have,” said Stacy Dean, the Carbonell Family Executive Director at George Washington University’s Global Food Institute, who moderated the panel.
Nutrition incentive programs, such as the Double Up Food Bucks that promote produce purchases, were cited as highly effective in encouraging healthy eating. “These are evidence-based programs that have shown they can not only lift people out of food insecurity, but also increase produce consumption,” said Jennie Norka, Senior Director at the American Frozen Food Institute. “People on the nutrition incentive program are eating more produce than your average American, which is a really great statistic.”
Such programs make healthy food more accessible and affordable, said Salaam Bhatti, SNAP Director at Food Research and Action Center, while attempts to promote healthy eating by imposing restrictions on SNAP purchases only adds complications. “Nutrition incentives are the bi-partisan solution,” Bhatti said. “Let’s double down on that. It’s worked over the past few years. Let’s keep it going.”
Nancy Dalton, Director of Amazon Access at Amazon.com, pointed out that online purchasing for SNAP existed in only a handful of states prior to the pandemic, and now is available to more than 95% of households that receive SNAP benefits. Now, WIC participants are also starting to enjoy the benefits of online purchasing.
Nell Menefee-Libey, Senior Public Policy Manager at National WIC Association, noted that building an online shopping experience for WIC is more complicated than for SNAP because participants have limits on what they can purchase. “It requires more work on the back-end,” she said. Even so, 15 state agencies are standing up online shopping pilots for WIC right now. “It’s our hope that it will become more widespread in the coming years,” Menefee-Libey said.
In another positive WIC development, participation in the program is on an upswing following almost a decade of decline. One reason is the benefit is much larger, having expanded from $9 a month for kids and $11 for moms, to now $26 a month for kids and $47-$52 a month for moms, said Menefee-Libey. In addition, participants are now able to certify by phone or video appointment. “That reduces barriers for busy families and makes it easier to access the program,” Menefee-Libey said.
The SUN Bucks program, introduced last year to great success, also continues. The program, which Dean was heavily involved in developing during her tenure as Deputy Undersecretary at the USDA, last summer benefitted more than 20 million students who received $40 a month during the summer for groceries. “There are over 38 states participating again this year, which is great,” Dalton said. “I’m looking for a world where all of the states are participating, because this is truly a difference-maker for families.”
For the elderly population, a positive development has been the creation of ESAP, or the Elderly Simplified Application Process. According to the National Council on Aging, nine million older adults are eligible for SNAP, but only 30% of them are enrolled. ESAP significantly shortens the number of pages older people have to fill out on the SNAP application, while also extending the certification period to three years and waiving the need for an interview to get re-certified. “This is something with bi-partisan support,” Bhatti noted.
For the general population, a nonprofit called mRelief also offers a remedy to SNAP bureaucracy. mRelief’s online screening process lets people find out if they’re eligible for SNAP in three minutes or less. mRelief has “increased the amount of folks who are actually receiving benefits by over 30%,” Dalton said.
Bhatti also pointed to momentum on letting people use SNAP benefits to purchase hot foods. There is bipartisan commitment to do a study of the issue, he said, noting that the restriction on hot foods is lifted whenever disasters occur and D-SNAP, which provides assistance during natural disasters, kicks in. “We’ve seen that it works,” he said. “So let’s just go with it. We don’t have to do a study. We’ll eventually get there. But it’s good to have bipartisan support.”
Dean offered some perspective on the cuts of more than $200 billion to SNAP that have been proposed by Congress. “It’s a House-passed budget resolution, which is a framework proposal for how much to cut,” she said. “The Senate has a different version, which would mandate a minimum of $1 billion in cuts, versus the House’s more than $200 billion. So they have to come together and come to a joint agreement. It’s not guaranteed that it’s going to happen.”
Dean’s lengthy involvement in federal policy gave her a long-term view of the current attacks against SNAP. During her career, she said, “the moments I am proudest of is holding the line when there were extraordinary attacks on the people who need our help and the people who use the help the government provides. This is a moment to stand together and hold the line, because it will make a difference for generations to come. So that’s what I’m here to do. That gives me hope.” – Chris Costanzo
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