What Is SNAP? And Why Does It Matter? | Johns Hopkins

Established in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, is the United States’ largest anti-hunger program, helping an average of 41.7 million—or 1 in 8—Americans per month.  

“It was invented as a way to help families afford meals in the face of rising food costs,” says Kristin Mmari, DrPH, MA, professor in Population, Family and Reproductive Health.  

Averaging just a few dollars per person a day, the program helps the most vulnerable Americans, including people with low incomes, children, older adults, veterans, and people with disabilities, says Julia Wolfson, PhD ’16, MPP, an associate professor in International Health and Health Policy and Management. Without SNAP, she says, we’d face “a potential public health crisis of food insecurity and hunger.” 

SNAP is also a major stimulator of the U.S. economy, and a main source of income for retailers, adds Susan Gross, PhD ’96, MPH, RDN, associate practice professor in Population, Family and Reproductive Health. 

The three experts share how SNAP works, why it’s so important to our society, and what we can all do to help prevent poverty-related hunger.  

How SNAP Works  

SNAP is funded by the federal government via the Farm Bill and administered by the states, which distribute it to eligible residents. Recipients can then spend that money on food and beverages. The money cannot be spent on tobacco, alcohol, nonfood items, or in most cases, prepared foods (takeout).  

To qualify for benefits, participants must meet certain eligibility standards based on their income, assets, household size, immigration status, and proof of employment. A household’s gross monthly income must generally be at or below 130% of the poverty line to be eligible, with the specific amount depending on household size. For example, a three-person household in the 2025 fiscal year had a gross monthly income limit of $2,798. In 2023, about 39% of SNAP participants were children, 20% were elderly, and 10% were nonelderly individuals with a disability. 

Despite being the largest federal nutrition program—in 2024 SNAP spending totaled $99.8 billion—the benefits per person are relatively low, Wolfson says, averaging $187 per participant per month, just a few dollars a meal per person per day. “It’s a very efficient program. There aren’t a lot of administrative costs, there’s not a lot of waste, fraud, or abuse. The overwhelming majority of the money is actually getting to Americans to buy food.” 

Benefits are based on a formula called the USDA Thrifty Food Plan, “which is a calculation based on what a family of four would need to have three low-cost, healthy meals a day,” says Mmari. 

After a family or individual is approved for SNAP, they receive an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card, which works like a debit card. Benefits are loaded onto the card monthly. To get an EBT card, families must apply for SNAP at their state Department of Social Services, which can often be done online, by mail, or in person, Gross explains.  

SNAP Reduces Food Insecurity 

By freeing up money that they would otherwise need to spend on food, SNAP benefits boost households’ nonfood spending. And, since SNAP benefits can only be used to buy food, it makes room in family budgets to pay rent or bills and purchase other essential items like diapers, medicine, or clothes.  

Eliminating the worry of where your food is coming from, or whether you’ll have enough to eat, ripples across all kinds of different health outcomes, says Wolfson. “For children in particular, food insecurity can be harmful for growth and development and adequate nutrition. It’s associated with higher rates of asthma and other health issues, but also with worse academic performance and behavioral issues and mental health outcomes.” 

 This is particularly true for adolescents, says Mmari. “There’s a growing body of literature that shows that food insecurity for adolescents has a high correlation with mental health issues, depression, and anxiety,” she says. And it can also affect their academic performance. “It’s hard to expect them to go to school and learn on an empty stomach. Adolescents who are food insecure are also less likely to go to school at all, meaning increased absenteeism.”  

Individuals with food insecurity often have limited access to healthy, nutrient-dense foods. Instead, they may rely on cheaper, less nutritious options, leading to a diet lacking in essential vitamins and minerals that is linked to chronic diseases such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes, Gross says. “SNAP often provides fresh fruits and vegetables that are expensive and wouldn’t otherwise be purchased.” 

Food insecurity can also lead to nutrient deficiencies, resulting in malnutrition, which in turn can weaken the immune system, making individuals more susceptible to infections. Lack of access to nutritious foods can contribute to poor oral health, including tooth decay and gum disease. This overall increased need for care culminates in higher health care costs. 

And food insecurity is associated with increases in homelessness, Gross explains. “When the safety net goes, people have to start deciding, do I use my money for food, or pay my rent, or buy my medicine?” 

The Societal Benefits of SNAP  

SNAP benefits are one of most effective forms of economic stimulus. Historically, SNAP has been one the fastest-responding federal programs, second only to unemployment insurance, during economic slumps. 

“SNAP benefits do not just help the people who receive them,” says Wolfson. “Those benefits help support businesses where people spend them, including grocery stores and farmers, thereby supporting local economies. Every dollar of SNAP benefits generates $1.54 in economic activity.”    

The effect is immediate, as most families spend their benefits before the month ends: According to 2017 USDA report, almost 78% of SNAP benefits are redeemed within two weeks of receipt, and 96% are spent within a month.  

In 2021, when the Thrifty Food Plan underwent an adjustment that increased SNAP benefits by 21%, the program kept 2.9 million people out of poverty across 48 states and Washington, D.C. In 2023, when added to households’ gross incomes, SNAP benefits raised the incomes of 17% of SNAP households above the poverty level. 

Supporting SNAP and Other Food Initiatives 

Aside from calling your representatives to demand action, Wolfson recommends donating to food banks and pantries or other community organizations that serve people who are struggling to get food on the table. “Families rely on SNAP benefits to help them have enough food; without those benefits we [would] risk a hunger crisis that the emergency food system [would] struggle to address,” Wolfson says.  

Gross points to national resources like Feeding America, which can help people apply for SNAP assistance or find local food banks and other meal programs; and No Kid Hungry, which helps schools and communities feed children by strengthening the state and federal meals programs that children depend on through funding and advocacy. Other organizations, like Freedge, Little Free Pantry, Findhelp.org, and Mutual Aid Hub, offer search functions to help people in need locate free food assistance. 

On the policy side, the public can support the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), a national nonprofit organization that focuses on strengthening programs like SNAP, WIC, and school meals, and advocating for policies that address the root causes of hunger, says Gross.  

Mmari suggests an overarching long-term approach, like utilizing COVID-era programs, like the Farmers to Families Food Box Program, and distributing excess food from restaurants and grocery stores to SNAP recipients in need. “Not all neighborhoods are equal. We need to find ways that these high-resource neighborhoods can contribute to the low-resource neighborhoods, and come together to utilize the excess food that we purchase in a coordinated way.”