Advocacy & Policy Updates
Advocating for Anti-Hunger Priorities in Harrisburg
Last week, we joined the Pennsylvania Hunger Action Coalition (PHAC) in Harrisburg to bring attention to the issue of food insecurity and underscore the importance of adequate state funding for programs that support our neighbors experiencing food insecurity.
We joined anti-hunger advocates for a rally in the main rotunda before spreading out through the Capitol to meet with legislators and introduce our End Hunger Checklist. Our goal was to ensure that our anti-hunger priorities are included in the final PA State Budget. It was great to see so many people show up and join the fight to end hunger, and we will keep you updated on our efforts to secure strong state investments in these crucial programs.
WIC Food Package Update
Last week, USDA (The United States Department of Agriculture) released the final rule updating the WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) food package, an important step that will better support the dietary needs of WIC participants while allowing them increased flexibility and choice within the program. WIC Food Packages allow participants to purchase specific foods that are intended to supplement their existing diets and support healthy growth and development. Food Packages vary depending on life stage, breastfeeding status, and dietary needs of participants. In 2022, USDA proposed updates to the food package and offered the public the opportunity to comment on the proposal. Finalizing the rule is an important step of the process and will give states the information that they need to implement these changes.
This update is based on evidence-based recommendations from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. One of the most notable changes included in the final rule is a permanent increase to the value of the Cash Value Benefit (CVB), which allows participants to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables. The CVB was temporarily boosted during the COVID-19 pandemic. While this temporary boost has been maintained by Congress, this rule ensures that the increased value of the benefit is a permanent fixture of the program and will not be lowered if Congress cannot agree on maintaining this benefit in the future.
This update also increases access to culturally-appropriate foods and adds more flexibility and choices for participants. States will now begin the process of implementing this exciting update. We applaud USDA for finalizing this rule and ensuring that WIC participants are supported by updated, science-based food packages that support their health, choices, and lifestyles!
Protecting the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP)
Last week, Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson, a Congressman from Pennsylvania and the Chair of the House Agriculture Committee released information laying out his forthcoming Farm Bill proposal that would prohibit USDA from meaningfully updating the TFP to keep pace with the cost of a healthy diet.
The TFP is the lowest cost food plan of four government food plans, meant to represent the cost of eating healthy on a budget. It is also the food plan on which SNAP benefit amounts are based. The 2018 Farm Bill directed USDA to update the TFP based on current food prices, food composition data, consumption patterns, and dietary guidance. This was done in 2021, resulting in an average 21% increase to SNAP benefits, a modest but meaningful increase that allowed SNAP benefits to keep pace with the cost of eating healthy. Prior to 2021, the TFP had not been meaningfully updated since the 1970’s, when it was put in place. But the cost of eating healthy had changed significantly since the 1970’s, meaning that SNAP benefits were based on a plan full of unrealistic and outdated assumptions. For example, that to meet dietary guidance at a very low cost, families would buy 25 pounds of milk and 20 pounds of orange juice each week. Despite this historic update, it’s important to recognize that SNAP benefits remain incredibly modest, leaving participants with an average benefit of $2 per person, per meal.
This proposal would require further updates to the TFP to be cost neutral, meaning that regardless of what these updates find about the cost of eating healthy, SNAP benefits would be unable to keep pace with current factors. Katie Bergh, Senior Policy Analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities explains, “In essence, this would mandate that USDA regularly conduct a rigorous, resource-intensive scientific & economic evaluation of the TFP, but also dictate that this process must only ever reach a single pre-determined conclusion: that the cost of a healthy diet remains unchanged.” Despite what you may hear about this proposal, make no mistake, this would be a cut to SNAP benefits. Anything that puts SNAP benefits out of sync with modern conditions faced by participants is a cut to benefits, and while this proposal would not lower the current SNAP benefit, it would ensure that, in years to come, SNAP benefits would be unable to keep pace with the cost of a healthy diet.
*It is crucial that SNAP benefits be allowed to keep pace with the actual cost of a healthy diet.
It is important that every hunger fighter understands that the ability to meaningfully update the Thrifty Food Plan at regular intervals must be maintained.
