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

Justine Hastings, Ryan E. Kessler and Jesse Shapiro

No 25953, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: 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.

JEL-codes: D12 H31 I12 I38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea
Note: EH PE
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Published as Justine Hastings & Ryan Kessler & Jesse M. Shapiro, 2021. "The Effect of SNAP on the Composition of Purchased Foods: Evidence and Implications," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 13(3), pages 277-315, August.

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Journal Article: The Effect of SNAP on the Composition of Purchased Foods: Evidence and Implications (2021)
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