We made 8 recommendations to USDA that would improve the quality, integrity, and transparency of future updates. Going forward, USDA is required by law to update the Thrifty Food Plan every 5 years. Didn’t analyze or test the update with real-world SNAP households before declaring it to be practical and consistent with Americans’ consumption patterns.Īs a result, USDA can’t be sure that the benefit recalculation reflects the true costs of a practical, convenient, and varied diet that supports realistic, healthy eating for SNAP households.Didn’t fully analyze or document key decisions-so it wasn’t clear why or how decisions were made.Skipped important steps, such as a formal peer review, putting the credibility of the update at risk.On a shorter timeline, USDA didn’t take certain steps to ensure the update was robust and transparent. To respond to economic conditions, USDA accelerated its update to the Thrifty Food Plan-taking 2.5 months to do what was originally planned for 8 months. How can USDA improve its benefits recalculation in the future? But there were problems with the calculations that led to the increase. The change helped ensure that people depending on food assistance didn’t experience a decrease in benefits during a critical time. This change took effect in October 2021, just as special COVID-19-related SNAP benefits were set to expire. This resulted in a 21% increase in benefits and the first increase in SNAP households’ buying power in 45 years. USDA decided to allow the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan in 2021 to increase beyond inflation. ![]() In 2021, USDA recalculated the Thrifty Food Plan to reflect changes to food prices, the latest dietary guidelines, and trends in what Americans buy and eat.
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