Issues in Food Assistance

Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Report No. (FANRR26) , October 2002

Nearly 1 in 6 Americans is served by 1 or more of the 15 domestic food assistance programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture at some point during the year. In 2001, food assistance programs accounted for about half of total USDA outlays. ERS's Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program has created the Issues in Food Assistance series to address a variety of topics related to the USDA food assistance programs. Issues briefs that are currently available cover changes in the Child and Adult Care Food Program, food insecurity, the standard deduction in the food stamp benefit formula, low-income rural Americans, private food aid (food pantries, food kitchens, etc.), the Food Stamp Program and the U.S. economy, how unemployment affects the Food Stamp Program, self-sufficiency among former food assistance receivers, and whether food assistance programs improve the well-being of low-income families.

Keywords: child and adult care food program, food security, Issues in Food Assistance, food insecurity, Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, low-income Americans, food pantries, unemployment, food stamp, well-being

In this series ...

Reports are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.

• Issues in Food Assistance—Program Targeting: Effects of Reimbursement Tiering on the Child and Adult Care Food Program (FANRR-26-1)

• Issues in Food Assistance—Reducing Food Insecurity in the United States: Assessing Progress Toward a National Objective (FANRR-26-2)

• Issues in Food Assistance—The Standard Deduction in the Food Stamp Benefit Formula (FANRR-26-3)

• Issues in Food Assistance—Reforming Welfare: What Does It Mean for Rural Areas? (FANRR26-4)

• Issues in Food Assistance—Private Provision of Food Aid: The Emergency Food Assistance System (FANRR-26-5)

• Issues in Food Assistance—Effects of Changes in Food Stamp Expenditures Across the U.S. Economy (FANRR-26-6)

• Issues in Food Assistance—How Unemployment Affects the Food Stamp Program (FANRR-26-7)

• Issues in Food Assistance—Assessing the Self-Sufficiency of Food Stamp Leavers (FANRR-26-8)

• Issues in Food Assistance—How Do Food Assistance Programs Improve the Well-Being of Low-Income Families? (FANRR-26-9)

• Issues in Food Assistance—The Emergency Food Assistance System: Findings from the Client Survey (FANRR-26-10)

• Issues in Food Assistance—Effects of WIC Participation on Children's Food Consumption (FANRR-26-11)

Updated date: October 1, 2002