USDA to up funds for SNAP recipients

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients will soon see their baseline benefits increase—jumping about $36.24 per person a month, or $1.19 a day, on average, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced.

This boost comes after the USDA conducted a renewed analysis of its Thrifty Food Plan as instructed by the 2018 Farm Bill and referenced in a recent executive order, taking into consideration such aspects as current food prices and the sorts of items today's Americans generally eat. 

The Thrifty Food Plan serves to estimate what it costs of feed a family of four healthily on a limited budget. This is the lowest-cost food plan of the four types the USDA tracks and is used to determine SNAP benefit amounts. 

The increase in SNAP funds, which is effective on Oct. 1, does not apply to additional benefits given as part of COVID-19 relief, the department says. 

“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,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement. “Ensuring low-income families have access to a healthy diet helps prevent disease, supports children in the classroom, reduces health care costs, and more.”

Close to 90% of SNAP recipients say they face barriers when it comes to having a healthy diet, the most common of which is the cost of food, according to a USDA study published in June of this year.

One in eight Americans receives monthly SNAP assistance, says the USDA.