The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities explores the adequacy of SNAP benefits by addressing some of the key assumptions underpinning SNAP allocations. The brief finds that the assumptions of the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP)—the estimated “bare-bones” diet upon which benefit levels are based—are misaligned with recipients’ ability to put time into meal planning, shopping, and cooking in a way that would maximize their SNAP dollars. The authors note that food-insecure SNAP recipients say that increasing SNAP benefits by $10 to $20 per person per week would result in a more realistic SNAP allocation, and smooth uneven food expenditure patterns across the month.
