Over 27 million Americans received food stamps in March, an increase of over 1.5 million from the previous year. In Minnesota, food shelves are seeing a 20 percent increase in demand. While federal food and nutrition programs received much-needed additional funding in the 2008 Farm Bill, efforts toward greater food security must also involve local agriculture, local economies and public policy reform. A new IATP report, “Food Stamps, Food Security and Public Health: Lessons from Minnesota” by Carla Kaiser, looks at some of the challenges within the current Food Stamp program and offers recommendations for ensuring that food assistance programs both deliver immediate benefits and help achieve long-term food security.
Kaiser writes, "While food assistance and nutrition programs are critical in times of need, long-term self-sufficiency and food security can only be achieved by addressing the bigger drivers that lead people to seek food assistance in the first place. Issues such as employment, housing, health care, the built environment and education must all enter into discussions about and efforts to increase food security."
