Alternative Approaches to Reevaluating the Thrifty Food Plan

This report explores different approaches to reevaluating the Thrifty Food Plan, which represents a low-cost, nutritious diet comprised of foods and beverages consumed at home and is used to calculate SNAP benefit amounts. The current method for reevaluating the Thrifty Food Plan uses a model that selects quantities of foods and beverages to represent a healthy, practical, cost-effective diet. To promote transparency and support FNS’s commitment to continuous process improvement, this contractor-authored report describes three potential alternative approaches as well as three potential revisions to the existing model, including the advantages, disadvantages, and expected level of effort of each based on input from external experts. The report does not include feasibility testing, which will be covered in a follow-up report.