SNAP and WIC are federally funded programs to help individuals and their families in an effort to prevent hunger and provide assistance to low income households. It allows low-income people to spend less money on food and more money on necessary resources. Most importantly, it ensures that families have the adequate nutrition they need. When individuals use WIC and SNAP to purchase foods at participating locations, grocery stores accept it as a form of payment. Although these programs are the same, they are distinctly different from each other using alternative measures to help families in poverty.
SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, “helps low-income people buy the food they need for good health”, (SNAP, 2014). With the food stamp program in place, it provides benefits and support for individuals who cannot afford to meet their nutritional needs. This includes individuals coping with homelessness or those on fixed incomes such as the disabled and elderly. It also serves those who are unemployed or working part-time. For individuals to meet the eligibility requirements, they must live well below the poverty line according to household number and income size. For instance, a single person household must receive a gross monthly income of $1,265 or less in order to become eligible, (SNAP, 2014). For every additional member of the household, the income requirement increases by $440. So, a household of two must generate an income of $1,705 or less to become eligible. Once requirements are met, households receive an allotted amount awarded monthly. “The amount of SNAP benefits you can get is based on the U.S Department of Agriculture’s Thrifty Food Plan, which is an estimate of how much it cost to buy food to prepare”, (SNAP, 2014). They have estimated that individuals can receive a maximum of $194 and an additional $146 for each member of the household. For a household of 3, this family can receive a maximum of $511 in food stamp benefits.
WIC stands for Women Infants and Children. This program helps to “assist low-income families and their children to purchase healthy foods”, (Healthy Foods, 2014, p.1). To become eligible for WIC, applicants must be women, who are pregnant or have at least one child under the age of 5. They must also be considered low income and at a nutritional risk. To determine the risk requirement individuals must receive care by a healthcare professional to go through a pre-screening process. This is to determine if, “an individual has medical-based or dietary-based conditions”, (WIC, 2015). Those who are underweight, pregnant, or hold a poor diet may qualify. The income requirements for WIC however, are the same as those seen for SNAP. This means that individuals must live well below the poverty line. However, individuals who receive food stamp benefits automatically meet the income availability for WIC.
There are many benefits to SNAP. It allows individuals to purchase any food item available at the grocer. This includes vegetables, spices, and also meat. However, they can also purchase snack foods like chips, frozen pizza, or a birthday cake. This puts little restrictions on what individuals can purchase. An additional benefit is the deductions program. Through the use of deductions, individuals who would not normally qualify for food stamps may become eligible. Furthermore, it allows individuals to receive more food stamps benefits by receiving the maximum amount allotted. This is done by, “subtracting deductions to determine net income and apply the net income test”, (SNAP, 2014). Individuals can qualify for deductions such as 20% from their net income or those from large household size. Including individuals living in shelters, involved in child support, or even those with medical expenses can receive deductions to improve their benefit eligibility and requirement. An added benefit is that immigrants and other foreign nationals are also able to apply. To receive SNAP immigrants must have entered the country legally and “lived in the country 5 years, receive disability benefits, or have children under the age of 18”, (SNAP, 2014).
There great benefits and advantages to the WIC program as well. This is because there are limited residential requirements and restrictions. To become eligible “applicants are not required to live in the State or local service area for a certain amount of time”, (WIC, 2014). This suggests that immigration status or proof of residency may not apply. This can be helpful for legal and illegal residents as well as national citizens in need of assistance. It ensures that all women and their children have their nutritional needs met during the most important years of child’s development. Although SNAP may not provide enough assistance to support a growing family, WIC has the ability to do this. Unlike SNAP, the added benefit of the WIC program is that is applies to individuals across state boarders. Therefore they are not restricted to the State or territory in which their benefits can be used. They are not mandated to reapply in their participating state or lose their benefits due to relocating.
While individuals receiving SNAP always receive benefits through the use of an EBT card, WIC participants receive benefits using a check or voucher. This can prove to be a disadvantage for WIC recipients. These vouchers allow people to purchase “a list of foods”, (WIC, 2015). This indicates that individuals on WIC are unable to purchase any type or kind of food they want. Instead, they are restricted to certain foods they receive with their vouchers. These foods include those that are nutritious and healthy like milk, cereal, eggs, juice, and cheese. Furthermore, it also restricts the amount of food that can be purchased. The WIC voucher will state that the individual can only purchase 1 gallon of milk, or 2 boxes of cereal. This makes it difficult for WIC participants to receive the foods that they want versus the foods they need. This can be stressful for an individual who is allergic to dairy or have other dietary restrictions. An additional disadvantage is that WIC is only available to women and their children. In this case, the elderly do not qualify for WIC or individuals with no children. Although the elderly need additional calcium and protein which can be expensive, they are not provided these things through WIC.
However, disadvantages can also be observed in SNAP. For individuals to qualify they must live well below poverty. According to the SNAP, individuals must receive an income that is 100% to 130% below the poverty line. Although these individuals are in the most need of assistance, it does little help to support those who are just below 100%. For those suffering through financial strain and in need of assistance, they may not receive the help they need. This can be seen in two-parent households with children, those forced from work due to family illness or workman’s compensation. An added disadvantage is that individuals can only purchase prepared foods. Foods that are cooked are restricted from recipients. This can be harmful for individuals such as the elderly or disabled who can benefit from grilled chicken served hot and ready to eat.
Nutritional Needs throughout Life
Protein is a macronutrient that the body needs to stay healthy and fit. As observed in the chart, the protein recommendation steadily increases overtime. This is because protein helps the body to build and grow. It helps to generate muscle, tissue, and provide the body the adequate energy it needs, (Brown, 2014). This can be seen as infants require low recommendations of protein. As an older adult, he or she is required to consume as much as six times the protein they did before. This is much different when compared to calcium. Overall, the daily amount of calcium required remains the same. “Achieving an adequate intake of calcium during adolescence is crucial to physical growth and development”, (Brown, 2014, p. 372). It is also significant to older individuals to help them retain their bone mass and strength. Although the amount of calcium recommended is lower in the infant, once ready for school, the recommended calcium intake remains the same throughout the course of one’s lifetime. However, Vitamin D recommendations changes through the course of life. As the Individual grows, the more vitamin D is required. This is especially seen during childhood. Once becoming a teenager the vitamin D recommendations stay the same until the late stages of life. Due to the essential role it plays in facilitating intestinal absorption, the human body does not require more Vitamin D as the body ages, (Brown, 2014).
Chart: Nutrient Needs throughout the Life Cycle
| Nutrients | Age Groups and
RDAs/DR |
Infants (7- month-old) | Children (5- year-old male) | Adolescent (15year-old male) | Adult (32- year-old female) | Elder (62 – year-old male) |
| Calories | 650 kcal/day | 1650 kcal/day | 4,100kcal/day | 2,273 kcal/day | 3,480 k/day | |
| Carbohydrates | 73-106g | 186-269g | 461-666g | 256-369g | 392-566g | |
| Protein | 10g | 16g | 60g | 45g | 68g | |
| Total Fat | 18-25g | 46-64g | 114-159g | 51-88g | 77-135g | |
| Iron | 11mg-40mg | 1-40mg | 11-45mg | 18-45mg | 8g | |
| Calcium | 260-1,500mg | 1,000-2,500mc | 1,300-3,000mg | 1,000-2,500mg | 1,000-2,000 | |
| Vitamin D | 10-38mcg | 15-75mcg | 15-100mcg | 15-100mcg | 15-100mcg | |
| Folic Acid | 80mcg | 150-300mcg | 400mcg | 400-600mcg | 400-600mcg |
References
- Brown, J.E. (2014). Nutrition Through the Life Cycle. Fifth Edition. Stamford, CT. Cenage Learning.
- Food and Nutrition Services, (2014). Supplemental nutrition assistance program snap. Retrieved from United States Department of Agriculture website: http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/eligibility
- Food and Nutrition Services, (2015). Women infants and children wic. Retrieved from United States Department of Agriculture website: http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/wic-eligibility-requirements
Russia Robinson 