n 2004, long before the term “food insecurity” had entered the mainstream lexicon, Dr. Hilary Seligman met with a prediabetic patient. A man in his 50s, he shared that he typically ate a slice of spam sandwiched between two cinnamon rolls for lunch. When Seligman wondered why, he said it was affordable, filling, and available. The interaction inspired Seligman to research all the ways in which limited or uncertain access to food could damage health, including acting as a risk factor for diabetes.
Since then, Seligman, who is a professor of medicine, epidemiology, and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco, has seen how the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is key to ensuring access to a variety of foods for the 41 million low-income and disabled Americans who rely on it. “There’s a lot of evidence that shows that SNAP reduces food insecurity by 20 to 30 percent,” she says.
In March 2020, the federal government passed a law significantly boosting SNAP benefits. Known as “emergency allotments,” there were adjustments during the pandemic that ensured all eligible households had more money for food. One change maximized benefits and led to an average increase of $105 per household. About a year later, another adjustment ensured every household, no matter their level of assistance, received at least $95.
It’s widely believed these emergency allotments likely prevented a massive food insecurity crisis over the last three years. In households with children, food insecurity actually dropped to 12.5 percent in 2021, down from nearly 15 percent the year prior.
As of March 2023, however, the emergency allotments ended in most states, and households’ benefits were once again determined by the pre-pandemic formula. According to the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), some older adults have experienced the steepest cliff, with their monthly SNAP benefits falling from as high as $281 down to $23. The recent debt ceiling deal will add to the challenges, as it will extend the current 80 hour/month work requirements to adults who are 52 later this year and 54 in 2024.