This chapter examines the federal response to hunger and the government’s attempts to distribute foodstuffs to the poor. Topics include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (formerly called Food Stamps), WIC and other food programs, U.S. farm policy, the plight of farmworkers in the United States, and the overall problems of food production and distribution. Although the issues around food may initially seem disparate, they are tied together in a complex mosaic that is fundamental to the well-being of the nation.

1. CHAPTER 17.
FOOD POLICIES

2. Food Insecurity in the U.S.
◦ Food Insecurity lack of consistent access to enough food for an active and healthy life
◦ No longer is it measured by simple hunger and lack of food
◦ The person must have access to nutritious food
◦ Lack of proper nutrition leads to:
◦ In young children, trouble concentrating and bonding. Get sick more often and miss school more often. Under perform
in standardized tests and are at a higher risk of dropping out of school
◦ In teenagers, more likely to get in trouble in school, need mental health counseling and have a higher risks of suicide
◦ In adults, obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes

3. USDA's Ranges of Food Security
◦ Food Security
◦ High food security (old label=Food security): no reported indications of food-access problems or
limitations.
◦ Marginal food security (old label=Food security): one or two reported indications—typically of anxiety over
food sufficiency or shortage of food in the house. Little or no indication of changes in diets or food
intake.
◦ Food Insecurity
◦ Low food security (old label=Food insecurity without hunger): reports of reduced quality, variety, or desirability
of diet. Little or no indication of reduced food intake.
◦ Very low food security (old label=Food insecurity with hunger): Reports of multiple indications of disrupted
eating patterns and reduced food intake.

4. Governmental Food Programs
◦ Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program (SNAP) (1964)
◦ Formerly “Food Stamps”
◦ Administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
◦ Funded 100% by the federal government; states share 50% of the administrative costs
◦ Recipients get an allotment based on family size and income, with a means-tested eligibility
requirements and benefits determined at the federal level
◦ See chart on page 363
◦ Assets: $2,250 countable resources (bank account) or $3,250 for households with a disabled
person or elder age 60 or older
◦ Not counted: a home and lot it is on, SSI, TANF and most retirement pension plans

5. Governmental Food Programs
◦ Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program (SNAP) (1964)
◦ Allotment. Your Texas Benefits
◦ Employment requirements.
◦ Register to work (with Texas Workforce)
◦ Not quitting a job or reducing hours
◦ Accepting a job when offered
◦ Taking employment and vocational training
◦ Exceptions: pregnant women, children, seniors, and those unable to work due to physical limitations or
mental health reasons

6. Governmental Food Programs
◦ Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program (SNAP) (1964)
◦ Immigrant eligibility. Under the Farm Bill in 2002 granted SNAP eligibility to legal immigrants
that:
◦ Lived in the U.S. for last 5 years, OR
◦ Are receiving disability-related assistance or benefits, OR
◦ Are under 18, OR
◦ Admitted for humanitarian reasons and for permanent residence may also be eligible, OR
◦ Noncitizens that are in the United States temporarily, such as students, are not eligible

7. Governmental Food Programs
◦ Women, Infant and Children. (WIC)(1972)
◦ Provides nutritious counseling and supplemental foods to pregnant and breastfeeding women,
infants, and young children who are at nutritional risk.
◦ Goal of the program is to address areas of child development that are most affected by poor
health and inadequate nutrition, including learning disabilities and impaired learning
◦ Not an entitlement program
◦ Part of the federal block grant programs which means a specific amount of money is allocated
every year to cover the cost

8. Governmental Food Programs
◦ Women, Infant and Children. (WIC)(1972)
◦ Recipients qualify if:
◦ Pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women; infants and children up to 5 years of age
◦ Are individually determined by a health professional to be at nutritional risk
◦ Meet a state residency requirement
◦ Meet an income standard
◦ Beneficiaries received either actual food items or vouchers for the purchase of specific items
including milk, cheese, eggs, infant formula, cereals, and fruits and vegetables

9. Politics of Hunger
◦ National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
◦ Federally assisted meal program that provides meals to more than 3 million Texas
children in school and residential child care institutions
◦ Serves nutritious, low-cost or free meals to students in public and non-profit private
schools
◦ Meals must meet federal nutrition guidelines
◦ The program was established under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch
Act, signed into law by President Harry Truman in 1946.

10. Politics of Hunger
◦ School Breakfast Program (SBP)
◦ Federally assisted meal program operating in public and non-
profit private schools and residential child care institutions
◦ All school breakfasts must meet Federal nutrition requirements
◦ Decisions about the specific foods to serve and how the foods
are prepared are made by local school food authorities.
◦ The SBP started in 1966 as a pilot project, and was made a
permanent entitlement program by Congress in 1975

11. Other Governmental Food Programs
◦ Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) snacks for children and adults that are mentally
or physically disabled
◦ Summer Food Service Program – meals to low income children when school is not in session
◦ Meals on Wheels
◦ Adults 60 or older unable to cook for themselves
◦ May also provide meals for disabled people living on their own
◦ No means test; may require a small co-pay (may use SNAP to pay)
◦ Congregate Meal Dining program
◦ Provide meals to elderly at senior centers
◦ See Figure 17.2 on pages 368 and 369