Recent Posts

Number of Food Stamps (SNAP) Participants Continues to Rise (USDA, Food and Nutrition Service, December 2, 2010)

The most recent year for which data are available (2010) shows the highest number of participants in the Food Stamp (now called SNAP) program’s history, at 40.3 million participants on average per month.  The average monthly number of SNAP participants has grown by 234% since 2000.     http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/SNAPsummary.htm  

More Households Used Food Pantries and Nutrition Programs During Recession (USDA, Amber Waves, December 2010)

Data from the Current Population Survey show that more households sought additional food resources from public and private sources during the recession. Since 2001, the number of households that reported obtaining emergency food from a food pantry has risen, with the largest increase occurring between 2007 and 2009.

The Number of People Receiving Food Assistance Continues to Rise (USDA, Food and Nutrition Service, September 4, 2009)

The monthly number of people receiving SNAP (formerly known as Food Stamps) has risen in almost every month since February 2007, from 26.2 million to 35.1 million in June 2009.   The number of households receiving SNAP has increased from 11.6 million to 15.9 million during the same time period. In just the past year (since June…

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Federal Expenditures for Food Assistance Increased 11% in FY 2008 (USDA Economic Research Service, April 2009)

The Food Assistance Landscape, recently released by the USDA, covers recent trends from the Food and Nutrition Service.  It reports that the 11% increase in expenditures for food assistance programs in fiscal year 2008 was the largest percentage increase in 16 years.  While SNAP accounts for 62% of spending, WIC was the fastest growing food assistance…

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One in Five Americans Receives Food Assistance (USDA Economic Research Service, April 2009)

The USDA’s Economic Research Service has recently released an illustrated guide to research findings on nutrition assistance programs, food insecurity, food prices, food spending, global food security, healthy eating, agriculture, and more.  Some of the graphs from the report are excerpted below.