August 2016

For Your Consideration

Will online ordering benefit SNAP recipients?

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has had a long and dynamic history. The flexibility and innovation of the program allows SNAP to serve citizens in need. Following in that vein, a new proposal to allow SNAP benefits to be used in online ordering of food has been a discussion in USDA board rooms for the past year. Beginning in the fall, the USDA will recruit online grocery services such as PeaPod and FreshDirect to pilot the program and begin to develop their own systems to accept SNAP for payment.

Online ordering of groceries purchased with SNAP could be a food access game changer for low-income individuals and families in rural communities. This change in how SNAP benefits are used, could potentially help the 11.5 million Americans who live in food deserts and the 2.3 million U.S. households living farther than a mile from a supermarket without access to a vehicle.

The USDA says it has taken proper steps to ensure that this program can be rolled out as effectively as possible. Using SNAP online involves several barriers, beyond the federal government's typical sluggishness in getting the pilots up and running. For starters, all vendors that accept SNAP benefits must meet standards that regulators have put in place to prevent food stamp fraud. SNAP transactions require entering an encrypted pin, which is not currently compatible with online credit card forms. While other barriers exist, the USDA has pledged to offer solutions and move forward.

On-line ordering might solve the transportation issue for SNAP clients in rural and urban areas that live in food deserts. However, it does not address the lack of affordable and accessibility of healthy food in small retail businesses and could jeopardize the viability of new grocery stores coming into those neighborhoods.

Meanwhile ... while online purchasing offers a chance for the USDA to better serve people in need, a proposal called "Enhancing Retailer Standards in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)" actually might limit food access for the more than 45 million families, seniors and children using SNAP. Forty-nine senators wrote a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack encouraging him to reconsider his proposal regarding hot foods.

More access to food assistance for drug felons

Alaska recently passed an omnibus criminal justice reform bill that opts out of a key federal provision from the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, or Welfare reform. Alaska's new law allows individuals convicted of drug felonies to apply for assistance. As long as the person complies with parole and meets substance abuse treatment requirements, assistance will still be offered.

Since 1996, federal law has prevented people that were previously convicted of drug felonies from receiving SNAP and TANF benefits. This ban exists only for drug related crimes. States, however, have the ability to change their laws to allow these benefits to be accessible. Now, only 7 states completely ban former drug felons from receiving SNAP. As for TANF, 12 states completely ban former drug felons. Only 11 states and D.C. offer TANF assistance with no qualifications. This compares to 22 states and D.C. that offer assistance with no qualifications for SNAP.

A 2013 study by the Yale School of Medicine found that 91 percent of people recently released from prison didn't have reliable access to food which creates an enormous barrier to adjusting to life post-prison. With the majority of states enacting legislation that protects food access for some of the most vulnerable in our country, the federal government could take its cue from state governments and begin to work towards a federal policy that repeals the law that makes it illegal to provide assistance in the form of SNAP and TANF to drug felons.

"Special Report: Hunger in Venezuela? A Look Beyond the Spin"

The headlines for the past couple of months have been about the social, economic and political crisis happening in Venezuela. Editorials and front pages in US and Spanish newspapers are screaming about hunger in Venezuela and demanding the removal of the "tyrannical regime" of President Nicolas Maduro. Ongoing scarcity problems have led to looting, right-wing opposition is struggling to trigger a presidential recall vote, but is also threatening violent action and appealing to foreign powers, including in some case for military intervention.

Some of this media highlights that socialism is being used as a disguise to shield extreme corruption, drug trafficking, violence, human rights violations, social division and the list goes on and on. For example, some news reports claim that Maduro, in addressing the public, promised to lower prices so they can all gain access to food, but then turns around and seizes the same industries that produce those food products. These and many other accusations about a country that is reportedly on the brink of starvation should be taken into consideration if for no other reason than that Venezuela is the same country renowned by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) only a year ago for nearly eliminating hunger.

"There are numerous explanations coming from both government and citizens. What is driving the current 'scarcity amidst abundance' in Venezuela? How did the present situation come to be? How dire is it, and what are the responses coming from communities, social movements, and the government? To what extent is the present situation being distorted in the media, and why?" Food First has a special report going into the nuances behind these headlines in this "challenging moment for average working class Venezuelans as they navigate long lines at the grocery store, a lack of key food staples, and inflated prices in order to feed their families."

Read the report here.

"Urgent farming support needed amid rampant food insecurity in parts of north-east Nigeria"

As more areas previously controlled by Boko Haram become accessible to humanitarian assistance, a critical opportunity has arisen to tackle "alarming levels" of food insecurity in north-east Nigeria, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has said.

"These populations need urgent assistance to recover their livelihoods, which are mostly based on crop farming, artisanal fisheries and aquaculture and livestock production," Bukar Tijani, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa, said today in a news release from the agency. "For the last three to four years this has not been possible due to the conflict," he added.

The news release goes on to state that the continuation of agricultural activities in these areas is of utmost priority to ensure that people can produce enough food for themselves. This includes those who have been internally displaced by the conflict as well as communities who have been hosting them. In parts of the country's restive north-east, where food insecurity is rampant, some 385,000 people are in urgent need of farming and livelihood support. The situation has been exasperated as three consecutive planting seasons were lost due to the fighting in the region.

Furthermore, large influxes of people escaping repeated Boko Haram attacks have put extreme pressure on already poor and vulnerable host communities and their fragile agricultural and pastoral livelihoods, exacerbating the already precarious food and nutrition security situation.

FAO estimates that more than three million people are affected by acute food insecurity in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States.