SNAP Doesn’t Just Feed Families. It Sustains Pennsylvania’s Farms and Food Economy

By Alex Baloga, President & CEO, PFMA

A package of lean ground beef tastes the same whether it’s paid for with cash, credit, or an EBT card.

Grocery stores don’t separate “SNAP” beef from “non-SNAP” beef, and for good reason: food is food. SNAP households buy many of the same staples as everyone else. According to USDA data, about 80% of SNAP benefits go toward essentials like meat, milk, fruits, vegetables, bread, and cereal.

The biggest difference between a SNAP household and a non-SNAP household? An EBT card, and a stretch of hard times. Not what’s in their cart.

For Pennsylvania’s farmers, grocers, and food workers, the method of payment doesn’t matter. What matters is that the food is purchased, and that’s where the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) plays a vital role in keeping our food system strong and our economy moving.

Right now, Congress is considering major changes to how SNAP is funded. While negotiations are ongoing, the stakes couldn’t be clearer. These proposed cuts threaten not only the families who rely on SNAP but also the farmers who grow our food, the stores that sell it, and the local economies that depend on both.

Agriculture is Pennsylvania’s leading industry. Roughly 25 cents from every grocery dollar spent goes back to the farm. That means when SNAP dollars are slashed, it’s not just low-income households that suffer, it’s also the 48,800 family-run farms across the state that feel the blow.

SNAP channels nearly $367 million into Pennsylvania’s food economy every month. That funding doesn’t just put food on the table for families in need; it supports jobs in farming, food processing, trucking, and retail. It’s a lifeline for rural communities where agriculture and food retail are often among the largest employers.

We saw this dynamic play out in real time when the temporary SNAP Emergency Allotments created during the pandemic ended in March 2023. With an average benefit cut of $181 per household, Pennsylvania lost an estimated $189 million in monthly food spending, a massive shock to grocery stores, suppliers, and farms.

Let’s be clear: these proposed cuts aren’t about preventing fraud. Widespread abuse of SNAP simply doesn’t exist. In Pennsylvania, the Department of Human Services works closely with the retail community to ensure program integrity. Oversight is strong. Compliance is high. The system is working as intended.

So what’s really driving these changes? At best, it’s short-sighted policymaking. At worst, it sends a cruel message to those most in need, including children, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities that they’re not worth helping.

But the damage goes beyond families. These cuts would drain revenue from farms, eliminate hours for grocery workers, and destabilize rural economies. And they would do so in the name of a false fiscal narrative that ignores SNAP’s true impact: as one of the most efficient, cost-effective public-private partnerships in the country.

Every $1 invested in SNAP generates more than $1.50 in local economic activity. It keeps food moving. It preserves jobs. It sustains small farms.

Weakening SNAP won’t just mean more empty dinner tables, it will mean fewer customers for farmers, more layoffs in food retail, and greater pressure on already stretched food banks and community organizations.

SNAP deserves investment, not judgment.

No government program is perfect and we’re ready to work with Congress to cut through red tape, streamline administration, and improve efficiency to reduce error rates. But this program works. It feeds families. It fuels the economy. It supports those who grow, deliver, and sell our food.

And it reflects the best of who we are: a Commonwealth and a country that show up for one another when it matters most, who invest in our farmers, and believe in building an economy rooted in opportunity for all. ■