Trends In $101 Billion Spending on U.S. Nutrition

Gettysburg, PA, May 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new report from  OPEN MINDS  found that U.S. spending on nutrition assistance programs totaled $101 billion in 2016, down 7.4% from FY2013 when spending peaked at $109.1 billion. The U.S. provides nutrition assistance primarily through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which served 44.2 million individuals or 14% of the U.S. population in FY2016. The average benefit for SNAP is $125.40 per individual per month. These findings were released by  OPEN MINDS  in their recent market intelligence report,  U.S. Spending On Nutrition Assistance Programs: $101 Billion In FY2016 .

Poverty and poor health are often linked for consumers with chronic conditions and complex support needs. Many individuals living in poverty lack food security, meaning they were unable to acquire—or were uncertain of their ability to acquire—enough food to meet the needs of all household members. To help combat these problems, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service offers a variety of nutrition assistance programs to reduce food insecurity, including SNAP, the Supplemental Foods Program for Women, Children, and Infants (WIC), and the National School Lunch Program.

“The nutrition/health care spending link is an important one for the field—particularly as the use of value-based reimbursement increases and provider organizations are increasingly responsible for consumer health care spending. In our current political environment, its very possible that we will see changes or reductions to the SNAP program, said  OPEN MINDS  Executive Vice President, Sarah C. Threnhauser. “Reductions to SNAP could result in more consumers dealing with food insecurity, pushing more of the responsibility for these types of social support into the health care system. Our report provides an overview of nutrition assistance programs and spending to help provider organization executives understand the impact of food security on the health care market.”

A free summary (registration required) of the report can be found at:  What Does The Farm Bill Have To Do With Health Care?  The report,  U.S. Spending On Nutrition Assistance Programs: $101 Billion In FY2016 , is available at no charge to Premium and Elite members of  The OPEN MINDS Circle  and can be purchased in the  OPEN MINDS  e-shop  for $495. The market intelligence report includes trends in spending at the national and state level and participant information on SNAP, WIC, and school-based food programs.

Learn more about becoming an  OPEN MINDS Circle  member online at  www.openminds.com/membership .

For additional questions and inquiries, please contact Sarah C. Threnhauser, Executive Vice President,  OPEN MINDS  at 717-334-1329 or  sthrenhauser@openminds.com .

ABOUT  OPEN MINDS

OPEN MINDS  is a national market intelligence and strategic advisory firm focused on the sectors of the health and human service field serving consumers with chronic conditions and complex support needs. Founded in 1987 and based in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the 175+ associates provide market insights and innovative management solutions designed to improve operational and strategic performance. Learn more at  www.openminds.com .

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Tim Snyder OPEN MINDS 7173341329 tsnyder@openminds.com