Working Paper: NBER ID: w25953
Authors: Justine S. Hastings; Ryan E. Kessler; Jesse M. Shapiro
Abstract: We use detailed data from a large retail panel to study the effect of participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) on the composition and nutrient content of foods purchased for at-home consumption. We find that the effect of SNAP participation is small relative to the cross-sectional variation in most of the outcomes we consider. Estimates from a model relating the composition of a household’s food purchases to the household’s current level of food spending imply that closing the gap in food spending between high- and low-SES households would not close the gap in summary measures of food healthfulness.
Keywords: SNAP; food healthfulness; nutritional quality; socioeconomic disparities
JEL Codes: D12; H31; I12; I38
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| SNAP participation (H53) | composition and nutrient content of foods purchased for at-home consumption (D18) |
| SNAP participation (H53) | share of kilocalories from fruits and nonstarchy vegetables (Y10) |
| SNAP participation (H53) | ratio of kilocalories from total fat to total kilocalories (Y10) |
| SNAP participation (H53) | Nutrient Density Score (NDS) (Y10) |
| SNAP participation (H53) | Healthy Eating Index 2010 (HEI2010) (I10) |