Nearly half of all SNAP beneficiaries are children. The program is run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and provides families with an electronic card they can use to buy food at grocery stores.
Our supporters often ask smart questions about what kinds of foods families can buy for their kids. In the past decade, the policy around what people can buy with SNAP has changed significantly.
Households cannot use SNAP benefits to buy:
- Beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes or tobacco
- Any nonfood items, like cleaning products, pet food, clothing or other household supplies.
- Vitamins and medicines
- Hot foods
Here’s what people can buy with their SNAP dollars:
- Breads and cereals
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Meats, fish and poultry
- Dairy products
- Seeds and plants which produce food.
It’s critical to have rules like these in place so that kids have the food they need to live up to their potential. It’s just as important to empower families with the knowledge to make the most of their SNAP dollars. That’s why our food skills education work is so important. Cooking Matters helps parents and caregivers struggling with limited food budgets learn how to shop for and cook healthy, affordable meals for their children.
Kids need SNAP. When we talk about the number of people who participate in SNAP, we’re talking about 20 million children. As part of our mission to end childhood hunger in this country, No Kid Hungry works to protect SNAP for the kids who rely on it.
The number of children in the United States who rely on SNAP benefits for food.
