Do food expenditure patterns of supplemental nutrition assistance program households meet thrifty food plan recommendations?

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) increases the food purchasing power of its clients by distribution of monthly benefits. The goal of this study was to determine if food expenditure patterns of SNAP households meet the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) recommendations. Results indicated that greater TFP-adjusted total grocery expenditure was significantly associated with greater spending on low fat dairy, vegetables, whole grains and fruits relative to the recommendations. Future research could focus on psychosocial factors associated with inadequate grocery spending among SNAP households.