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Resource | Research and Data Thrifty Food Plan, 2021

The Thrifty Food Plan, 2021 was released on Aug. 16, 2021. The TFP represents the cost of a nutritious, practical, cost-effective diet.

08/25/2021
Resource | Research and Data USDA Listening Session: SNAP Provisions of the 2018 Farm Bill

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) held a listening session regarding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Farm Bill provisions on March 19, 2019. 181 people registered for the call and 132 people called into the session.

03/19/2019
Resource | Research and Data Farmers Market Incentive Provider Study

This report is meant to be the first systematic study of the roles different organizations play in designing and implementing SNAP based incentive programs, how they choose markets for their programs, and how they evaluate success of their programs.

03/18/2014
Resource | Research and Data | Participation Characteristics Characteristics of Food Stamp Households: FY 2006

The report draws on data for households participating in the Food Stamp Program under normal rules and thus does not include information about those who received disaster assistance after the Gulf Coast hurricanes in September and October 2005. 

09/01/2007
Resource | Research and Data | Participation Characteristics Characteristics of Food Stamp Households: FY 2005

This report provides information about the demographic and economic circumstances of food stamp households in fiscal year 2005. The report draws on data for households participating in the Food Stamp Program under normal rules and thus does not include information about those who received disaster assistance after the Gulf Coast hurricanes in October 2004 and September 2005.

09/01/2006
Resource | Research and Data | Participation Rates Food Stamp Program Participation Rates: 2004

This report is the latest in a series on food stamp participation rates based on the March Current Population Survey, and presents national participation rates for fiscal year 2004.

06/01/2006
Resource | Research and Data | Assessing/Improving Operations Evaluation of Food Stamp Research Grants To Improve Access Through New Technology and Partnerships

Low participation rates among low-income people eligible for food stamp benefits have prompted a number of outreach and public education efforts. In 2002, the Food and Nutrition Service awarded $5 million in grants to community-based organizations in 15 States to investigate how to increase participation among people eligible for food stamp benefits. The evaluation of these grants describes the features and outcomes of these 18 projects.

09/01/2005
Resource | Research and Data | Food Security Impact of Food Stamp Payment Errors on Household Purchasing Power

Most discussion of payment accuracy in the Food Stamp Program focuses on the overall level and cost of payment errors. Rarely does the discussion focus on the impact of payment errors on individual households affected. This analysis – based on 2003 food stamp quality control data – leads to two broad conclusions. First, virtually all households receiving food stamps are eligible. Thus, the problem of erroneous payments is not so much one of determining eligibility, but rather one of attempting to finely target benefits to the complicated and changing circumstances of low-income households. Second, most overpayments to eligible households are small relative to household income and official poverty standards. As a result, most food stamp households are poor, and they remain poor even when overpaid.

03/01/2005
Resource | Research and Data | Participation Rates Trends in Food Stamp Program Participation Rates: 1999 to 2002

This report presents estimated participation rates for 2002 and revised estimates of rates for 1999, 2000, and 2001.

09/01/2004
Resource | Research and Data The Reaching the Working Poor and Poor Elderly Study: What We Learned and Recommendations for Future Research

To increase its understanding of the reasons for nonparticipation, the Food and Nutrition Service(FNS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) contracted with Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. (MPR) to conduct a study of nonparticipation by low-income working and elderly households, entitled Reaching the Working Poor and Poor Elderly. This report summarizes what was learned and offers recommendations for how a national survey of the reasons for nonparticipation in the FSP should be designed and fielded.

12/01/1999
Page updated: May 22, 2025