A provision in President Donald Trump’s budget proposal would replace SNAP benefits for certain recipients with a monthly package of 100% American-grown staple goods, such as cereals, pasta, peanut butter, beans and canned fruit, vegetables, meat, poultry, and fish. The changes would affect households receiving more than $90 in SNAP benefits, with a portion of the benefit arriving as a “Foods Box” and the rest going onto the recipient’s EBT card.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Food Box is estimated to save more than $200 billion over ten years by reducing “waste, fraud, and abuse by limiting opportunities for benefits to be misused or trafficked.” A number of critics have disputed those claims, however, including the Food Marketing Institute and other organizations PFMA regularly partners with, contending the cost of the initial and ongoing implementation of the program would fall largely on state governments. Others contend the changes would not result in significant savings, and could cost governments more money as they become responsible not just for the cost of the original product, but also for those products’ transportation and distribution to beneficiaries, which is now covered by SNAP retailers.
PFMA urges members to contact their U.S. Senator and Representative to ask them to oppose attempts to replace a portion of SNAP benefits in certain households, as is currently outlined in the President’s budget proposal.
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According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Food Box is estimated to save more than $200 billion over ten years by reducing “waste, fraud, and abuse by limiting opportunities for benefits to be misused or trafficked.” A number of critics have disputed those claims, however, including the Food Marketing Institute and other organizations PFMA regularly partners with, contending the cost of the initial and ongoing implementation of the program would fall largely on state governments. Others contend the changes would not result in significant savings, and could cost governments more money as they become responsible not just for the cost of the original product, but also for those products’ transportation and distribution to beneficiaries, which is now covered by SNAP retailers.
PFMA urges members to contact their U.S. Senator and Representative to ask them to oppose attempts to replace a portion of SNAP benefits in certain households, as is currently outlined in the President’s budget proposal.
In the News...
Associated Press: Food boxes, not stamps? Idea worries grocers
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