How Food Prices are Affecting SNAP Recipients

A December 2022 article in Eater Magazine, titled "For SNAP Recipients, Grocery Inflation Hits Hard" explains the rising prices at grocery stores and emphasizes the importance of robust, well-funded nutrition incentive programs amidst inflation.

Every year, in accordance with the Thrifty Food Plan, SNAP benefits are recalculated to adjust to inflation. Despite the recent October increase, food assistance does not fully account for the 13 percent rise in food prices.

These shortfalls, according to advocates, like Ellen Vollinger, SNAP director of the Food Research and Action Coalition (FRAC), occur because the Thrifty Food Plan insufficiently calculates food needs. One cause of that is the timing of these calculations, which happened in June 2022 for a October 2022 increase, a significant lag.

As the war in Ukraine and climate pressure diminish supply, and food companies hike up their prices, grocery shopping is not getting any easier for families in the United States. Read more here.