Food Stamp System

Words: 2112
Pages: 9

The Food Stamp System in America has become a staple for many people. Since its start in the early 1960’s this program has benefited many people in the country and grew into what we knew about it today (MacDonald 5). The food stamp system and many other welfare programs are here to benefit people who are struggling through life’s many problems. These are all programs that are meant to help bring people out of the cycle of poverty and bring them back to their feet. Like many of the welfare programs, the food stamp program aims to provide the best for its recipients and makes sure that these people aren’t falling short on what they need.
Yet in recent years, though, the food stamp system had received a facelift and gained a new name called the
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One of the most major reasons behind the food stamp system been beneficial to society is that it is helping with the dietary needs of families. Food insecurity has a linkage to higher obesity rates in people (Carroll para. 4). With this being said, there have been many efforts in trying to create better alternatives for people who rely on food stamps and who have a harder time with obtaining them. In 2009, the Department or Agriculture added more vouchers to the food stamp system with the intention to increase vegetable and fruit consumption (Strom para. 4). This showing that the most important part of the food stamp system is creating a healthier diet for the people on it. It makes sure that anyone who is a recipient of the food stamps is getting the right nutrition that they need for their bodies and for their families. The USDA has a list of all the items that people who of recipients of the food stamp system can and cannot buy. These all being items that are eligible to be bought, to be considered an eligible item they must be able to be consumed at home (USDA para. 4). This list takes an emphasis on the foods and items that are more important for the consumer to buy while at the market. This list ranges from your basic household grocery needs to even mention that even some restaurants can be approved and work with food stamps. Along with that, the consumers can buy themselves seeds so that …show more content…
Like most welfare programs the food stamp system does have its flaws. One flaw is the usage of food stamps being used within adulthood and what may or may not lead to its usage. Most children who grow up in a family using food stamps have a higher chance of using them when they grow older. Within their article Mike Rank and Thomas Hirschl mentions that in the past couple years, the percentage of those eligible who participate in the food stamp program has averaged between 50% and 60% (Rank 2). This is a good chunk of the population but they took more of a look at what might cause young adults to be using food stamps. With their study both Rank and Hirschl noticed that the results in their article indicate that the use of food stamps occurs across a surprisingly wide segment of the American population (Rank 9). They noticed that within the age range that they looked at, 20-65-year-olds, that there was a very rough lower estimate of the prevalence of food insecurity during adulthood. It showed that there really isn’t a definitive answer to the question that Rank and Hirschl were asking. So this leads to some confusion within the system and causes some people to rethink certain aspects of the