Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Examining the Evidence to Define Benefit Adequacy (2013) / Chapter Skim
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6 Conclusions and Recommendations
6 Conclusions and Recommendations
Pages 175-186
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From page 175... ...
the program goals of food security and access to a healthy diet consistent with the goals of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The committee reviewed and assessed the evidence base for objectively defining the adequacy of SNAP allotments and the data and analyses needed 175
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From page 176... ...
The available evidence has some limitations, but it is possible to obtain the evidence needed for a science-driven definition of allotment adequacy. First, evidence must be taken into account on the degree to which specific individual, household, and environmental factors influence SNAP participants' purchasing power, given a dollar value of their SNAP benefits.
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From page 177... ...
Although SNAP allotments might be adequate in the absence of these factors, the evidence suggests that these factors can act as barriers to obtaining nutritious foods and preparing nutritious meals consistent with the assumptions of the TFP. The evidence on individual, household, and environmental factors that constrain the purchasing power of SNAP allotments is most robust for four factors: • The SNAP allotment, which is based on the TFP, assumes the purchase of many basic, inexpensive, unprocessed foods and in gredients requiring substantial investment of the participants' time to produce nutritious meals.
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From page 178... ...
However, existing evidence on the influence of nutrition knowledge and skills on the ability of SNAP participants to purchase and prepare nutritious foods consistent with the assumptions of the TFP is insufficient to support a conclusion about the relevance of these factors to an evidence-based definition of the adequacy of SNAP allotments. Conclusion 3: The Adequacy of SNAP Allotments Is Influenced by Program Characteristics The evidence suggests that a number of factors related to how the d ollar value of SNAP allotments is calculated, as well as other SNAP program characteristics, can influence the feasibility of defining an adequate SNAP allotment.
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From page 179... ...
Evidence suggests that a lower benefit reduction rate more closely aligned with current household spending patterns would likely give house holds greater incentive to combine workforce participation with the receipt of SNAP benefits by reducing the penalty for working. • Calculation of the net income deduction -- The committee found evidence that several program characteristics used to determine net income and the monthly allotment may not adequately capture the impact of additional extraordinary household costs that reduce the allotment's purchasing power.
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From page 180... ...
Evidence reviewed by the committee indicates that a number of individual, household, and environmental factors can have an impact on the purchasing power of SNAP allotments, although more evidence is needed to fully understand the magnitude of the impact of these factors in influencing the adequacy of the current allotments. Further, evidence reviewed by the committee indicates that several features of the way SNAP allotments are calculated, such as how food prices and spending patterns are accounted for, must also be considered in defining adequacy.
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From page 181... ...
that may affect the ability of some SNAP participants to purchase a variety of healthy foods at reasonable cost. Evaluation and assessment of access barriers should include the degree to which, and for whom, they constrain the SNAP allotment that would otherwise be ad equate to meet the program goals.
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From page 182... ...
Monitoring Assessment of the Adequacy of SNAP Allotments The committee's findings suggest that an evidence-based definition of the adequacy of SNAP allotments requires ongoing monitoring of the ability of SNAP participants to use the allotments to achieve the program goals. To this end, it is important to know the proportion of SNAP participants that are more food secure and consuming healthier diets as a result of the program, and within what time frame.
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From page 183... ...
The committee identi fied the Healthy Eating Index as one example of a measure that could be adapted to assess whether SNAP participants are meeting recommended dietary goals. Meeting Additional Research Needs The committee identified several factors related to SNAP program participation that may affect whether some SNAP participants are able to meet the program goals and for which evidence is currently inadequate to fully assess their importance.
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From page 184... ...
documentation and assess ent of the relative cost impact of ready-to-eat prepared foods on the m total cost of a market basket of healthy foods. First, the committee encourages USDA's continued support for rigorous independent investigations evaluating the role of both incentive and restriction approaches to encouraging healthy food purchases in supporting the program goals.
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From page 185... ...
Its recommendations are structured to (1) assist USDA-FNS in establishing an objective definition of the adequacy of SNAP allotments, taking into consideration the evidence for these factors and (2)
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