WASHINGTON - November 20 - With Thanksgiving Day falling on the third week in November, Bread for the World Institute's 2007  Hunger Report, Healthy Food, Farms and Families (www.bread.org),  points out that 80 percent of  food stamp recipients have used their entire monthly benefit by the second week of the month and almost all recipients (91 percent) have used their benefits by the third week in the month. The report shows that food stamp recipients do not have the purchasing power to afford a nutritious meal at Thanksgiving or throughout the year.

Government statistics released last week show that 35 million people—including 12.4 million children—live in households struggling to put food on the table. "American families depending on food stamps have limited purchasing power for a Thanksgiving meal or any nutritious meal," said Bread for the World Institute President Rev. David Beckmann.  

Healthy Foods, Farms and Families documents that lack of a nutritious diet increases the risk of obesity and preventable health-related problems for these families. "It is very difficult to eat a healthy diet if you depend on food stamps," said Cornell University Professor of Community Nutrition Christine Olson, who contributed to the report. "The latest health and nutrition guidelines recommend a food basket that is beyond the buying power for those who qualify for food stamps. The long term impact of eating an unhealthy diet is enormous, in terms of health and health care costs," she said.

Despite multiple revisions to USDA dietary guidelines and the food pyramid, the benefit amount for food stamp recipients has not kept pace with the government's own nutrition standards. The Food Stamp Program serves an average of 25 million people per month, who receive an average monthly benefit of $93 per person—about $1 per meal. The Hunger Report cites a Boston University Medical School study showing that a healthy monthly food basket would cost around $30 dollars more per person than the current average monthly benefit.

"Raising the food stamp benefit should be a priority," said Beckmann. "When the cost increase for better food security and nutrition is weighed against the benefits of lower health care costs, better educational outcomes and higher work productivity, the United States is a much stronger country."

The Food Stamp Program, along with other federal nutrition programs that make up the nation's hunger safety net, is to be reauthorized as a part of the farm bill in 2007. The Food Stamp Program is the largest federal nutrition program. It is one of the most effective of all government programs, with minimal levels of waste, fraud and abuse.

Bread for the World Institute recommends the following revisions to the Food Stamp Program in the 2007 Farm Bill:

• Guarantee access to healthy food choices for food stamp recipients. Food stamp benefits are calculated using a plan originally developed for emergency use during the Great Depression. The plan does not accurately meet the needs of families on food stamps in the twenty-first century.

• Rename the Food Stamp Program. "Food stamps" is an outdated label. The program now uses a debit card to process benefits instead of paper coupons. A change would accurately reflect a modernized program and would also reduce the stigma associated with the name.

• Allow all people who are food insecure to participate in the Food Stamp Program. Some vulnerable groups are excluded because of asset limits or other program rules. It does not behoove the United States to allow any residents to go hungry.

• Provide greater financial support for states to administer the Food Stamp Program. States carry the burden of administering the program. Federal support has decreased, while hunger has gone up. The federal government needs to be a better partner.

To interview Bread for the World Institute President Rev. David Beckmann, contact:

John Brennan, press secretary, 202-464-8106, or jbrennan@bread.org

Shawnda Hines Eibl, media associate, 301-960-4913 or seibl@bread.org

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