Obesity rates have drastically increased over the past three decades. With that increase, there has also been an increase in the amount of people on food assistance programs. Although at first glance these phenomena may not seem correlated, users of food assistance programs are at an increased risk for becoming overweight and developing weight related diseases. Obesity and hunger do not seem to go together, but in the United States, there is an obvious correlation between Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants purchasing cheaper, less nutritious food and a higher risk for obesity.  

The supplemental nutrition assistance program serves 45.4 million people in the United States. SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamps Program, was permanently put into practice in 1964 to help improve nutrition and attempted to eliminate hunger for Americans who without the program may struggle to provide food for themselves or their family. The program was also created in an attempt to help strengthen the agricultural economy. Throughout its existence, the major struggle for legislators has been keeping the program accessible while still keeping participants accountable. This has caused cutbacks and expansions many times throughout its years. The entire structure that was originally put into place in 1964 has evolved into participants using card similar to a credit card where benefits that an individual or household receives for the month are deposited on the card and can then be used to purchase any food item in qualified stores.

 In 2015, a single person receiving SNAP benefits received $126.39 monthly approximately $31.59 per week, while the average household received $256.11 monthly or $64.02 weekly. This number fluctuates based on deductions participants qualify for which includes dependent costs, child support, utility costs and medical expenses. According to the USDA the average household receives $100 less than the maximum monthly allotment for a two-person household ($357). Households make up just over three quarters of participants receiving benefits. Two thirds of households receiving benefits are single parent households and 44% of all SNAP participants are children. Because the system is created for the elderly, homeless, low income and unemployed, the money many Americans receive from the program is all the money they have to spend on food. 

In the United States, 36.5% of adults are obese. The National Institutes of Health describes obesity as “when you take in more calories than you use, or when energy IN is more than your energy OUT. This type of energy imbalance causes your body to store fat”. The simple answer to why obesity has become an epidemic in the United States is that Americans spend less burning calories while also consuming large portions of food that are packed with fat and sugar. The obesity rates for adult SNAP participants are almost 10 percent over the national average as cited by studies conducted by the USDA. Weight and weight related disease is directly influenced by what a person puts into their body. 

When a participant is faced with what to buy at a store, they typically pick cheaper foods that will help keep their families full throughout the week rather than produce which is also more likely to spoil. Some families on the SNAP program do not even have the same access to fresh produce as other do which also drives the obesity rate up. When participants are either unable or unwilling to purchase produce because it is unavailable or too expensive, they turn to cheaper options. Processed foods, which make up the majority of the grocery store ends up being what participants purchase. 

The United States government spends over $25 billion dollars per year on agricultural subsidies. A subsidy grants money to a business to supplement income in order to keep the price of a product or good low and competitive. When the government subsidizes a farming business, it protects against food shortages, drives the price of that crop down and in turn allows for the overproduction of a specific crop. The government subsidizes thousands of farmers, but the majority of the money goes directly to the largest producers. The major crops the government subsidizes include wheat, corn, soybeans, rice, and cotton. Over $170 billion was given out in subsidies between 1995 and 2010 on these crops alone. 

A study published by JAMA Internal Medicine presented that more than half of the calories consumed in a typical American diet came from government subsidized food. However, a person consuming subsidized food was not consuming it in whole-food form. The majority of government subsidized food gets turned into feed for the meat industry and another large portion of the food is transformed into sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup. When a person goes to the store and buys cheap high fat meat, refined grains or processed sugary food they are purchasing the food the government subsidizes. 

Based on the definition of a subsidy, this food is cheaper and in abundance at grocery stores that are SNAP approved but according to the Consumption of Subsidized Foods and Cardiometabolic Risk in US Adults “Compared to people who ate the least amount of subsidized food, the people who ate the most had a 37% higher risk of being obese, a 41% greater risk of having belly fat . . . 14% higher risk of having abnormal cholesterol”. This combination of high fat and sugar is detrimental to the health of those eating it. SNAP participants whose diet is mostly subsidized food are put at risk for obesity and weight related health problems. 

The feed that goes to the meat industry helps with the mass production of cheap meat that is high in fat. Eating large amounts of red meat has been associated with heart disease, high cholesterol and weight gain. A SNAP participant looking to buy meat in a grocery store is going to look for the cheapest meat while still getting a decent portion size. The meat participants end up purchasing has a high fat content. SNAP participants do not have the luxury to splurge on organic or free range options on their meat which has less fat. Meat and poultry makes up a large portion of the American diet, and when that meat is the lowest quality meat on the market, consumers are more likely to experience weight gain and the health problems. 

This combination of high fat meat products and processed sugary foods is not only available in grocery stores, but it also available conveniently at fast food restaurants. The meat that is subsidized by the government is also sold to fast food chains which also poses problems for SNAP participants that have fewer places to shop at grocery stores. Although SNAP participants are not allowed to use their benefits at fast food restaurants, they are still one of the cheapest and quickest way to get a meal. A typical meal at a fast food restaurant would be a soda (the smallest size at most chains is a twelve-ounce drink), a high fat burger and French fries, which are soaked in fat. This combination of high fat based meal and sugar eaten on a regular basis can cause weight gain.

Sugar specifically plays a leading role in major health problems including obesity. The average American gets ten percent of their daily calories from added sugar while a staggering one in ten Americans get a quarter of their daily calories from added sugar. Over consuming sugar has several detrimental effects on the body. First, it can damage the liver; the more sugar consumed, the more time the liver has to spend processing, and with over consumption the liver becomes overloaded. Second, it tricks the body into gaining weight. When there is an excess of sugar, the body starts to process it into fat and disrupts insulin levels in the body. This disturbance in insulin levels can lead to type two diabetes. The difference between added sugar and sugar that is found naturally in plants is the fiber. When eating fruit or vegetables, fiber helps slow down the processing of the sugar. When the body processes added sugar, there is no fiber to help slow down the intake of sugar, so it will be immediately processed and turned into fat. 

SNAP participants are more likely to purchase food containing more added sugar because it is cheaper and more readily available than fruits and vegetables. Even if participants had the ability to purchase fruits and vegetables more frequently, a study conducted by the USDA that measured a person’s healthy eating index proved that even when dietary recommendations are met, i.e. the recommended nutrients from fruits and vegetables such as vitamins and minerals, eating more added sugar still led to weight gain and an increased risk for health problems. Sugar itself is highly addictive; it has been found to be just as addictive as cocaine. Because of this, people are not only prone to purchasing processed foods with added sugar because it is convenient and cheap, but also because overtime they crave the sugary foods. 

There is no set standard for added sugar by the government, although it is recommended by American Heart Association’s that women consume less than 100 calories of added sugar per day (about 6 teaspoons) and men consume less than 150 per day (about 9 teaspoons). To put this into perspective, a twelve ounce can of Coke-a-cola soda contains 9 teaspoons of added sugar. By drinking one can of soda, most Americans would already be put over the recommended limit of added sugar. Although the National Institutes of Health describes calories in versus calories out to be the reason we gain weight, a participant in the program could be on a calorie restrictive diet but still be eating lots of added sugar. In fact, many companies have made low to no calorie options with lower fat content to make their products seem healthier. In reality companies substitute added sugar into these no calorie products to make the flavor more appealing. This is very deceptive to consumers as they think they are purchasing a healthier option when they are still eating lots of added sugar. 

Another reason why people are prone to buying subsidized food that contains lots of added sugar is that many of the poorer areas of the country are spotted with food deserts. Food deserts are described as “geographic areas where residents’ access to affordable, healthy food options (especially fresh fruits and vegetables) is restricted or nonexistent due to the absence of grocery stores within convenient travelling distance” by the food empowerment project. Most food deserts occur in communities that are low income which makes it hard to reach the grocery store especially since those of low income are less likely to have access to cars. In cities grocery stores, may be accessible through many lines of public transportation but in rural areas there is typically little to no public transportation. Food deserts have some of the highest rates of obesity even though they have the smallest selection of food.

SNAP participants are forced to purchase groceries at the closest SNAP approved stores which are usually corner stores, convenient stores or liquor stores. These stores not only do not only provide a low selection of fruits and vegetables and a high selection of processed food, but the price of produce at these stores is usually much higher than at a large chain grocery store. In food deserts a truck carrying fresh produce will come infrequently because the cost is too high for companies to send a product that easily spoils in a place where they will sell only a small amount of product. SNAP participants are then forced to buy processed food at these small local stores or they can eat at fast food restaurants which have been found to be abundant in food deserts. In either case participants are eating highly processed food that contain lots of added sugar or cheap meat products. 

The USDA has recognized that there needs to be improvements within the program to help its participants lead healthier lives. There are programs that have been put in place such as SNAP education, which helps in nutrition education. Unfortunately, education about nutrition will only take participants so far. Participants will do what is necessary to make sure they and their families will not go hungry, even if that means purchasing food that is not the healthiest. 

To help solve the obesity epidemic, the government must work closely with the food industry to develop healthier choices for people on the SNAP program. The government has already started to provide nutrition education to families, but to change the way we purchase and consume food the subsidies of corn, wheat, soybeans and rice need to either be modified. The government should start to focus on a new sustainable option for participants; one that provides nutrients, does not contain added sugar or high fat and is affordable. 

SNAP participants have been proven to have higher obesity rates than the average American citizen. This is due to subsidized food being more readily available while still being inexpensive. Food deserts also play a large role in this epidemic, as they are prime example of how obesity is influenced by eating a diet of highly processed food with large amounts of added sugar. To combat this obesity epidemic within the program, affordable new subsidies should be considered.