USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

SNAP (formerly known as Food Stamps) Nutrition Education Goal

To provide educational programs that increase, within a limited budget, the likelihood of all Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients making healthy food choices consistent with the most recent dietary advice reflected in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and USDA MyPlate.

Program Objectives

Five core elements form the basic range of educational categories in SNAP Nutrition Education:

• Dietary Quality: To assist SNAP households to adopt healthy eating and active lifestyles that are consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and USDA MyPlate .

• Shopping Behavior/Food Resource Management: To enhance practices related to thrifty shopping for and preparation of nutritious foods by SNAP households.

• Food Security: To ensure SNAP households have enough to eat without resorting to emergency food assistance and make sure people eligible for food stamps but not participating are made aware of its benefits and how to apply for them as part of nutrition education activity.

• Food Safety: To improve SNAP households’ safe handling, preparation and storage of food.

• Home Gardening: To encourage SNAP households to purchase seeds and small plants to grow fruits and vegetables.

For additional information on the program, visit the SNAP Nutrition Connection website.

SNAP Nutrition Audience

SNAP-Ed target audience includes SNAP recipients and applicants (people with gross incomes at or below 130% of poverty level). With an approved waiver on a project basis, other low-income people could benefit from the SNAP-Ed program as long as it is targeted generally to SNAP participants and applicants. Also, at least 50% of a project target audience has a household income at or below 185% of poverty level. The other 50% of the audience can be persons of any income levels. “Incarcerated persons” are NOT a SNAP-Ed audience.

Subject Matter – SNAP-Ed Nutrition Interventions: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans is the foundation for nutrition education in all FNS nutrition-assistance programs. SNAP-Ed audiences have access to educational lessons and materials on the following topics: nutrition, diet and health, food buying, budgeting, food safety and gardening. SNAP-Ed nutrition education activities focus on the following core elements:

1. Increased consumption of fruits and vegetables
2. Physical activity and healthy weight
3. Promotion of a healthy school nutrition environment (through partnership and collaborations)
4. Nutrition education activities conducted in the SNAP Office, where the SNAP eligibility assessment is completed

SNAP-Ed Target Audiences: 

1. Commodity food distribution
2. Faith-based organizations
3. Head Start
4. Homeless shelter
5. LaCHIP
6. Low-income housing
7. Medicaid
8. School meal service
9. WIC – only indirect activities are allowed
10. Blue Cross Blue Shield/Smart Bodies
11. Retail outlets serving SNAP families

Family and consumer sciences agents and trained nutrition educators provide services in 61 parishes.