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FOOD STAMPS

Food stamps are vouchers issued to low-income households that are redeemable only for food at retail stores. The Food Stamp Program in the United States is administered by the Food and Nutrition Service unit of the Department of Agriculture and financed through the Social Security Administration. The program is operated by state and local welfare offices and is available in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The objective of the Food Stamp Program is to end hunger and improve nutrition and health by assisting low-income households in obtaining a nutritionally adequate diet. Participants in the program use food stamps to supplement what they would normally spend on food. Both low-income families with dependent children and households without children can be eligible for food stamps. The quantity of Food Stamps an eligible household is entitled to depends on the amount of income the household has available and the number of people in the household.

See also: Social Security Act, Welfare Policy