Three Myths About SNAP and Food Stamps Debunked
If you believe certain memes and rumors, it might sound like the people at the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), better known by its previous name , the Food Stamp Program, are using taxpayer dollars to buy tons of junk food and get extra money. the rest of us have to work for our money. But this is not true.
People on SNAP aren’t too attached to some mythical pig, and this is important to understand when legislators are proposing policies that suggest they are and when you are tempted to make a hasty judgment about the family in front of you. queue. at the grocery store. Let’s set a record.
Myth: SNAP users eat more junk food than everyone else.
At first glance, this sounds quite extravagant, that the people who use the protocol of SNAP, spend a huge portion of their money on sugary drinks , such as carbonated beverages , more than almost any other category of food. But this is also true for people who do not use SNAP.
SNAP households spent five percent of their money on soda, compared with 4 percent of non-SNAP households. (Non-SNAP families also have a higher overall budget.) Both types of households spend similar spending on cookies, savory snacks, and desserts such as ice cream. These results come from a USDA report that compiled data on purchases from one major grocery retailer in 2011. The report summarizes:
There were no significant differences in the spending patterns of SNAP and non-SNAP households, regardless of how the data were classified.
(SNAP already bans its benefits on alcohol, tobacco, hot food, and non-food items such as detergents, so these were not included in the study.)
“There seems to be an idea that just because you get food aid, you stop having food cravings,” says Marissa Evans , who covers health and social services policy for the Texas Tribune. She notes that SNAP is already trying to nudge people towards healthier lifestyles, such as getting your SNAP dollar to go further when you shop at farmers’ markets .
If you’re going to judge what SNAP recipients eat, be prepared to make the same judgment about everyone else. For example, if you think the government should act to limit what people who receive SNAP can eat, consider whether you would support similar government intervention in other households, such as a tax on unhealthy foods. These are not necessarily bad ideas, but class prejudice can affect the way we think of them.
Myth: People using SNAP need to get a job.
People using SNAP services often work; their jobs are simply poorly paid. For example, one of Evans’s recent stories introduced her to government employees who receive SNAP benefits because their salaries just aren’t enough to make ends meet.
When unemployed people use SNAP, it is often because they are disabled, children, or the elderly. In most cases, people who can work must work or actively seek work in order to be eligible for benefits. Able-bodied adults without dependents have the most stringent requirements and can only receive benefits for three months out of three years if they do not work at least 20 hours a week.
Myth: SNAP scams are common.
SNAP fraud is extremely low. Each year, states carefully evaluate a sample of their SNAP accounts to determine the level of fraud and error; they are also investigating human trafficking (sale of discount cards for cash). It turns out that less than one percent of SNAP benefits are received by people who should have been considered unfit.
In 2014, for example, the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities reports that the government overpaid 3.66 percent of benefits and underpaid 0.69 percent. The states estimated that 60 percent of the overpayments were bureaucratic errors and not the fault of the recipient. The government not only actively monitors the level of fraud and investigates suspicious cases, but in many cases actually returns money – in the amount of $ 340 million in 2014.
SNAP’s budget is huge, so one percent is still a lot of money – almost a billion dollars for a $ 74 billion program. But that pales in comparison to other types of fraud. For example, the same CBPP report also cites relevant numbers for the IRS: 18.6 percent of people file their taxes incorrectly, resulting in $ 458 billion in losses for the government.
However, the myth of rampant SNAP fraud persists, and lawmakers are proposing new rules, such as requiring a photograph on benefit cards, that are unlikely to help. Any member of the beneficiary’s family is allowed to use the card, and most of the benefit trade takes place in fraudulent stores that don’t care whose photo is on the card, as the CBPP report points out.
In 2014 , SNAP lifted 4.7 million people out of poverty and helps 47 million Americans eat every year, so it’s a shame when myths about the program turn it into a political goal.