The Effect of SNAP on the Composition of Purchased Foods: Evidence and Implications

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Hastings, Justine; Kessler, Ryan; Shapiro, Jesse M.
• 署名单位: Brown University; National Bureau of Economic Research
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL-ECONOMIC POLICY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1945-7731
• DOI: 10.1257/pol.20190350
• 发表日期: 2021
• 页码: 277-315
• 关键词: healthy eating index; dietary quality; UNITED-STATES; assistance; obesity; adults; cost; PARTICIPATION; benefits; BEHAVIOR

摘要

We use detailed data from a large retail panel to study the effect of participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) on the composition and nutrient content of foods purchased for at-home consumption. We find that the effect of SNAP participation is small relative to the cross-sectional variation in most of the outcomes we consider. Estimates from a model relating the composition of a household's food purchases to the household's current level of food spending imply that closing the gap in food spending between high- and low-SES households would not close the gap in summary measures of food healthfulness.