Across the U.S., food insufficiency, defined as households not having enough food to eat, increased after pandemic-era Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) emergency allotments expired, according to a new study by researchers at Harvard T.
H. Chan School of Public Health. The study also found that the loss of emergency allotments, which provided SNAP participants up to $250 additional support per month, resulted in greater food pantry use and greater difficulty paying household expenses, as well as increased anxiety symptoms specifically among Black SNAP participants.
"Increased SNAP benefits during the pandemic—particularly emergency allotments—have been credited with preventing a national food insecurity crisis," said corresponding author Rita Hamad, associate professor of social and behavioral sciences and director of the Social Policies for Health Equity Research (SPHERE) Center. "Our study indicates that more generous SNAP benefits would continue to have a major positive impact for the 41 million families participating in the program." The findings are of immediate relevance to policymakers, as the Farm Bill, the legislation that funds SNAP, is currently being considered in Congress.
The bill expired September 30, and funding will run out by the end of the year if Congress fails to act. The study, "Food Insufficiency Increased After The Expiration Of COVID-19 Emergency Allotments For SNAP Benefits In 2023" published October 7 in Health Affairs , is the fir.