Summary

Thirteen major federal domestic programs, costing several billion dollars annually, provide food or food-related assistance to needy Americans. The programs are administered by the Department of Agriculture (USDA); the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW); and the Community Services Administration (CSA).

These programs have helped many people obtain more adequate diets. However, the large and accelerating costs of the programs, their piecemeal authorization and administration, and proposals for comprehensive welfare reform have created a need and opportunity to examine the programs' interrelationships and effectiveness. Multiple participation in the programs, which is sanctioned in legislation, has created a situation in which benefits often exceed amounts needed for thrifty food plan diets. Food stamp allotments ranged from 82 percent to 164 percent of the cost of such diets. Savings could be realized by making adjustments for different ages and sexes of household members. The extent of food benefit gaps and overlaps cannot be measured precisely because of inadequate data collection. Administrative problems result from varying eligibility criteria and procedures, lack of a uniform definition of needy, and inadequate program coordination. There is also a lack of adequate data to determine the proper level of benefits, interrelationships of the programs, and the nutritional effectiveness of the programs.