For a few reasons, the recent cancellation of the emergency food stamp allocations authorized for the COVID-19 epidemic came at a horrible moment. Firstly, food prices continue to be at record levels due to the rising inflation rate. Secondly, diet-related illnesses like diabetes and being overweight are becoming more common in the US, mainly among low-income households who rely on food stamps to pay for groceries.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, also known as food stamps, are offered to eligible families to help with grocery items. During the epidemic, many of these families received additional benefits; however, the emergency payments expired at the start of March.
When that occurred, many SNAP members witnessed a reduction in their monthly benefits of $95 or over, making it much more challenging to purchase nutritious meals.
The ending of emergency SNAP allocations came at the same time as new research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) indicating the increase in obesity and diabetes. Almost 13,000 people were enrolled in the study, just as Health Exec highlighted. Their collective records revealed that the frequency of many cardiovascular risk factors has risen over time.
