Report Highlights Effectiveness and Importance of SNAP Assistance

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A new report from the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) found that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is found to be highly effective in reducing food insecurity. The government has designated food insecurity as the measure for whether a household lacks the resources for consistent and dependable access to food.

The report highlights a growing body of research that finds children who receive food assistance see improvements in health and academic performance and at these benefits are mirrored by long-run improvements in health, educational attainment, and economic self-sufficiency.

New research has shown that benefit levels are not often adequate to sustain families through the end of the month. The result of this has been a 27% increase in the rate of hospital admissions to due low-blood sugar in low-income adults between the first and last week of each month. There has also been diminished results of standardized tests among school-age children.

SNAP benefits nearly 46 million low-income Americans each month. The large majority of households receiving benefits include children, senior citizens, individuals with disabilities, and working adults. Nearly two-thirds of the households with benefits include children.

• In 2014, SNAP benefits lifted at least 4.7 million people out of poverty, including 2.1 million children.
• Over the past 20 years, the overall number of SNAP recipient households rose by 50%.
• SNAP has particularly women and their families, as exposure to food assistance during pregnancy reduces low-birth weight by 5% to 23%.
• As of 2014, 40% of all food-insecure households and 6% of US households overall were considered to have very low food security.
• Despite SNAP assistance, one in seven American households experienced food insecurity in 2014.