SNAP—the federal assistance program better known as food stamps—helps put food on the table of nearly one in eight Americans today. But, as new legislation is phased in over the coming months, more than half of those people are expected to lose some or all of their SNAP benefits. This episode, we're getting to the bottom of why SNAP matters—to all of us, not just those who receive it. Why does the U.S. government give people money just for food, rather than cash, as in other countries? Does it make sense to ban SNAP from being used to buy junk food? And why are so many people still hungry, when American farmers produce more food than we can even eat? For decades, the food stamp program has been the main way the U.S. government puts food on the tables of folks who would otherwise struggle to afford it; for all of those decades, it's been attacked, resented, and subject to political horse-trading. Listen in now, as we explore how SNAP has survived for so long—and whether it's worth saving today.

Episode Notes

Christopher Bosso

Christopher Bosso is a professor of public policy and political science at Northeastern University, where his research and teaching is focused on food and environmental policy. He is the author of Why SNAP Works: A Political History—and Defense—of the Food Stamp Program.

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for the Public Understanding of Science, Technology, and Economics

This episode of Gastropod was supported by a generous grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for the Public Understanding of Science, Technology, and Economics. Check out the other books, movies, shows, podcasts, and more that they support here.

Transcript

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