This story First published on Civil Eats.
Gilma Dominguez silently watched as the grocery store clerk scanned each item. She was buying only the essentials such as meat, milk, beans and rice, but the numbers on her screen were higher than usual, her heart beating faster and her palms starting to sweat. rice field. Even with her Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) quota, she couldn’t afford all this food. When her clerk finally read her total, Dominguez was panting and sweating, she was having a panic attack.
Dominguez has suffered three grocery store panic attacks in the past year as food prices hit levels not seen in decades. The $425 I receive each month through SNAP is not keeping up.
In October, SNAP recipients nationwide 12.5 percent increase — the largest in decades — to explain food inflation.But at grocery store prices increased by nearly 13% Since last year, the family is still struggling to make a living.
“It’s like a bad dream,” Dominguez said in an interview in Spanish. “Every week the prices go up and up.”
The single mother lives in Los Angeles with her son JP, who is on the autism spectrum. He eats the same thing every day, and Dominguez says he tries not to change the menu to something cheaper.
“Originally, food stamps were only given for two or three weeks.
Quantification of needs
Dominguez isn’t one of those struggling to get food. According to our November survey, propel, moveA financial assistance app designed for low-income Americans, one-third of respondents (most of whom receive SNAP benefits) said they ate less in the last 30 days due to budget constraints. reported that.
Black and Latino households consistently report higher levels of food insecurity than white households. This shows that SNAP isn’t doing its job, anti-hunger advocates say.
SNAP benefits are calculated in the following way: Thrifty meal plan, a mathematical model that determines the cost of a budget-friendly, balanced and healthy diet. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) designs theoretical “market baskets” for various age and gender groups and uses the results to determine monthly SNAP allocations.
Yuki Iwamura/AFP via Getty Images
Some say the model is flawed. “Thrifty [Food Plan] It’s wrong to adjust profits.” Ellen Bollinger, SNAP Director of the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). “It’s not the right mix of products to give people a basic standard of living.”
For example, according to the 2012 FRAC report, a family of four’s allotted market basket for the year consisted of “about 0.64 ounces of ‘frozen or refrigerated appetizers’ and about 2.1 ounces of ‘all cheeses’ — each of which is about a third of a fish stick.” Equivalent to 2 and 2 slices. A week of cheese for a family of four. The market has since updated his basket, but Vollinger says it’s still not enough.
A frugal diet plan Modernization Last year, as a result, SNAP recipients began receiving an additional monthly average of $36.24 in October 2021.
“Kudos to the administration for taking this long-awaited step,” he said. Diane Shanzenbach, Director of the Institute for Policy Studies, Northwestern University. “Without it, the family would have had a harder time.”
Market baskets now contain mostly unprocessed whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, breads, meats, cheeses and yoghurts. Relying on such ingredients can be difficult for low-income people who often work long hours and have little time to cook.
Moreover, the design of the system is also fundamentally flawed. SNAP benefits are adjusted for inflation each year, but there is a significant time lag between calculation and implementation. For example, this year’s cost of living increase he calculated in June and took effect in October. It is valid until September 2023.
In a written interview, a USDA spokesperson acknowledged that many families are “suffering recently due to inflation and rising food prices.” They praised the Thrifty Food Plan’s “ability to adapt to changing economic conditions,” and the agency said he re-evaluates the plan every five years.
Why is food so expensive?
Getting the SNAP formula right is especially important at this time, given the prices shoppers like Dominguez see at the grocery store.
“Everything is so expensive now. Meat, milk, beans, rice, vegetables, fruit…all the basics,” Dominguez said. Her son eats cereal every morning, the price of which he has increased 16% since last year. according to to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. What is the price of milk for that cereal? It’s also up 16%.
There are many factors that contribute to these unusually high numbers. Chief among them is the climate crisis and the ongoing war in Ukraine.the dispute is putting The world’s wheat supply is in jeopardy, with wheat prices rising, followed by bread, pasta, pastry and cereal prices.
“[The Russia-Ukraine conflict] When it comes to oil, it’s the equivalent of a war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. It will cause an oil crisis. In this case, it creates a wheat crisis.” William SpriggsProfessor of Economics at Howard University and Chief Economist at the AFL-CIO.
At the same time, climate change is wreaking havoc on growing conditions around the world. heat wave in Europe, drought with China flood in Pakistan. This is depleting global supplies of staple crops such as rice and maize, and impacting the entire global food supply, including meat and dairy products.
“These are all tremendous jolts to offer, resulting in higher food prices,” says Spriggs.
Meanwhile, major food companies such as Tyson, General Mills and Cargill record profit Among the price increases for their products. Prices have barely kept pace with wage growth for workers, and businesses are making ends meet at the expense of their customers.
“After a hurricane destroyed much of Florida this year, if you swooped in and said, ‘Oh, I’m going to bring bottled water over there and sell it for $20 a bottle,’ we They will arrest you because there are regulations that prevent such price gouging,” Spriggs said. “This is no different.”
Most of these factors affect not only the price of food, but also the overall cost of goods, Spriggs said. This makes the budgets of SNAP households even tighter.
For example, food isn’t the only thing Dominguez is having trouble getting. It’s also a drug. She is a cancer patient and her Medi-Cal, California Medicaid, does not cover all her medications. This month, she had to refrain from taking her medication because she couldn’t afford her out-of-pocket expenses.
“I had to take time off from work because I was in so much pain because I didn’t take my meds,” she said.
A lifeline for people receiving food assistance
Dominguez visits the local pantry to help with the family budget. In particular, she would appreciate it if you could provide what JP likes to eat.
she’s the only one millions Percentage of Americans who rely on food banks and pantries each year. Inflation is also driving some food banks to see demand returning to early-pandemic levels.
At the height of the pandemic, San Francisco Marine Food BankFor example, it served approximately 60,000 households a week in Northern California. That number eventually declined, but now the food bank he serves about 56,000 households a week.
“We’re not asking people why they’re coming to us, but based on the timing, inflation hits our people very hard,” said Keeley Hopkins, food bank communications manager. It is clear that you are giving
Meanwhile, food banks are struggling to keep their shelves stocked. For example, the San Francisco Marine Food Bank offers visitors a special holiday menu each year that includes chicken, brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and more. This year, food bank costs are 35% higher than the previous year. This is mainly due to the fact that the price of chicken has doubled for him.
“This is definitely something our supply chain team is keenly aware of and looking forward to,” Hopkins said.
Foodbanks also provide resources to help SNAP recipients like Dominguez. Food bank CalFresh program manager Alex Danino sees SNAP as “the most effective tool to end hunger because it puts money directly into people’s pockets,” but adds that it’s not enough. .
There has been a move in Congress to (re)modernize SNAP. 2021 Diet Gap Closing Act, was endorsed by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) and Congressman Alma Adams (D-North Carolina).The bill is USDA’s great meal plan instead. It will also increase the benefit baseline, currently set at $23 per month, and expand access to U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands. The bill now has his 111 cosponsors in the House.
Efforts have also been made in recent months to curb inflation by creating parliamentary subcommittees dedicated to analyzing the cost of goods (including food) and examining corporate profits. Rep. Jamal Bowman (Democrat, New York) introduced The bill was called the Emergency Price Stability Act in August.
Dominguez is doing what he can to bring the issue to local politicians, including the newly elected mayor of Los Angeles. Karen BassDominguez said food insecurity should be a top concern for Bass mayor-elect, who is running for a platform to combat homelessness in the city.
“I’m doing everything I can to avoid going to a homeless shelter with my son,” she said.
• ‘Not enough. ‘ SNAP recipients are struggling amid rising food prices. [Civil Eats]
