TEFAP Alliance Blog

Foodlinks America - June 22, 2007

In this issue:

• Farm Bill Delays Expected
• Economic Impact of Hunger Assessed
• Food Stamp Facts
• Proposed Legislation
• Reports from the Field
• Small Bites

Foodlinks America is published 24 times a year by California Emergency Foodlink in Sacramento, CA and distributed by Weinberg & Vauthier Consulting, 6412 CR 116, Burnet, TX 78611; Zy Weinberg and Barbara Vauthier, Editors; email: bvauthier@tefapalliance.org.

Foodlinks America is not copyrighted, so the information can be freely shared with colleagues and friends, though attribution for reprinted articles is appreciated. For archived issues of Foodlinks America, go to: www.tefapalliance.org. To request a free subscription to the newsletter or to submit story ideas, contact Barbara Vauthier at: bvauthier@tefapalliance.org.

Farm Bill Delays Expected

Though Congress has now begun the process of renewing the Farm Bill in 2007 in earnest, the prospect of delays in enacting a five-year plan for federal agriculture and nutrition policy may carry well into the fall. Many changes in federal food assistance programs, including food stamps and commodity programs, are dependent upon the outcome.

All six subcommittees of the House Committee on Agriculture have finished marking up a draft Farm Bill, but a full Committee session, originally scheduled before the end of this month, has been postponed. The Committee will meet sometime in July, with House floor debate currently anticipated for late July. But the timetable could slip even further. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) has not yet scheduled Farm Bill action in the Senate Agriculture Committee and Congress’ annual summer recess will preclude action from August 4 through September 3. Observers now feel that a short-term extension of current farm law into October is increasingly likely.

Collectively the subcommittees recommended $13 billion in new spending, including $5.8 billion for food stamps, The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and other nutrition assistance (described below), $4.5 billion for renewable energy and ethanol programs, and $3 billion for land stewardship. The new initiatives, however, were labeled “contingent,” and will be implemented only “if offsetting funding is available.”

Looking for funds

How to pay for recommended changes remains the sticking point for Farm Bill decision-makers. Although the 2008 budget provides for a $20 billion Farm Bill reserve fund, congressional pay/go policies mandate an offset in funds from new revenues or cuts in existing programs. One potential source of funds – reductions in commodity price supports – was scotched unanimously on June 20 in one of the subcommittees. Though the modest changes proposed would have involved less than $1 billion, Representative Frank Lucas (R-OK) rallied his colleagues to “circle the wagons” against efforts to redirect price support funds to other priorities. Price support reform was extinguished by a tally of 18-0. After the session, Agriculture Committee chair Collin Peterson (D-MN) referred to the vote as an “open revolt in the South,” where the influence of commodity programs is strong.

Peterson has said delaying further consideration of the Farm Bill into July will give him a better idea of how much more money above current spending the House leadership will allow and whether the pay/go requirements might be relaxed. Democrats remain confident fiscal support will be identified. Representative Earl Pomeroy (D-ND), speaking about the nutrition changes, said, “We believe the funds we are committing this morning will be found.”

The opposition was more skeptical. “We’re relying on magic beans, if you will,” stated Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, the top Republican on the Agriculture Committee. “I know the chairman is trying to get more money from the [Democratic] leadership. None of it has become tangible.”

International concerns

The retention of current commodity price support programs provides another complication that may delay passage of a final Farm Bill this year. Though the U.S. wants to lower foreign tariffs on American products and commodities, the country is facing sanctions from the World Trade Organization (WTO) for the large subsidies given to cotton, rice, sugar, and other crops.

The WTO, developing countries, and the European Union have all pressured the U.S. to reduce its payment levels, but last week’s subcommittee action could spell trouble. “If you are looking for a signal the U.S. is serious about negotiating lower farm supports … the House Agriculture Committee is saying, ‘To heck with you,’” commented University of California economist Daniel Sumner.

Nutrition improvements detailed

Though anti-hunger advocates have championed more extensive improvements in food stamps and other programs, nutrition assistance generally fared well in this first round of Farm Bill decision-making. In a meeting on June 14, 2007, the Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition, and Forestry endorsed a number of “contingent” changes in food stamps and allied programs. Among changes tentatively approved for the Food Stamp Program were:

- renaming food stamps the “Secure Nutrition Access Program;”
- increasing the standard deduction and indexing it for inflation;
- lifting the cap on the dependent care deduction;
- excluding education and retirement savings from countable financial resources;
- allowing states to accept applications over the phone;
- providing grants for application simplification and improved access projects;
- reducing state administrative costs; and
- piloting research projects on benefit cash-out for the elderly.

Non-food stamp changes adopted included:

- reauthorization of the Community Food Projects (CFP) program with a six-fold increase
in funding to $30 million annually;
- extending the maximum CFP grant period from three years to five;
- cutting CFP requirements for non-federal match in half;
- increasing mandatory funding for TEFAP food purchases to $250 million annually;
- raising the annual authorization for TEFAP storage and distribution funds to $100
million;
- expanding the fresh fruit and vegetable program in schools to $100 million a year;
- raising funding incrementally for the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program to $75
million annually by 2012; and
- securing funding for both national and international fellowship programs at the
Congressional Hunger Center.

Economic Impact of Hunger Assessed

Hunger is expensive. It costs the United States $90 billion annually, but could be eliminated for a fraction of that amount, according to a new study. The total includes the direct costs of hunger relief charities, and the more indirect costs of avoidable illness, lost days in school and at the workplace, and the impacts of psychosocial dysfunction. These costs are borne by all Americans, noted the Sodexho Foundation, which commissioned the study, “The Economic Cost of Domestic Hunger,” and released it on June 5, 2007.

“The Cost of Hunger study is a call to action for communities, legislators, the private sector, and individuals to look at hunger as more than a social issue – hunger also is an economic issue,” said Stephen J. Brady, president of the Sodexho Foundation. The report identified $66.8 billion in annual treatment and care costs related to the poor health that accompanies food insecurity, $14.5 billion a year for charitable anti-hunger relief efforts, and $9.2 billion annually from school dropouts and job absenteeism.

The research also put a price tag on fixing the problem. “From our study, it appears that we could virtually end hunger in our nation for only approximately $12 billion over current spending on federal nutrition programs,” said Dr. J. Larry Brown, Harvard School of Public Health and lead researcher for the study. “We ought to debate this,” said Brown, “because if we’re right, we’re spending far more by letting hunger exist that it would cost to end it.”

To access the report, go to: http://www.sodexhousa.com/press-releases/pr06507.asp.

Food Stamp Facts

Caseloads continue to rise: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that national participation in the Food Stamp Program (FSP) in March 2007 stood at 26,376,282 persons, an increase of 202,371 over the previous month and 53,382 persons more than received benefits in March 2006.

As the program increases overall: The growth of food stamp participation is a long-term phenomenon. Sixty-five percent of eligible people participated in the FSP in 2005, USDA Secretary Mike Johanns recently announced, compared with 54 percent in 2001. Since 2001, the FSP has grown to serve 9.4 million additional low-income people needing nutrition assistance.

Yet millions of potentially eligible Americans do not receive benefits. “No one should go hungry in America. Through our 15 nutrition assistance programs we reach one in five Americans each year and we recognize on this Hunger Awareness Day – June 5, 2007 – that even more can be served,” said Johanns. Johanns also noted that additional children were being served under the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, and the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC Program).

For additional information, go to:

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal?contentidonly=true&contentid=2007/06/0160.xml.

Diet challenge draws attention: The paucity of food stamp benefits was highlighted for many Americans during late May and early June as dozens of elected officials, program administrators, journalists, and advocates took up the Food Stamp Challenge. Agreeing to spend just $21 a week on food – the national average allotment for a food stamp participant – allowed challengers to experience first-hand the limitations of food stamp purchasing power and often hunger.

Those accepting the challenge included at least six Members of Congress, the Governor of Oregon, a New York City Council member, a county executive in North Carolina, and writers for major newspapers in Kansas City, Salt Lake City, and Los Angeles. A Food Stamp Challenge media blitz hit Denver, as the mayor, the director of the City’s human services, and a reporter for the local paper all took part in keeping their spending in line with household food stamp budgets.

The point was driven home for many. “All of us in Congress live pretty good lives,” said Representative James McGovern (D-MA), who said he ate a single banana for breakfast and went through caffeine withdrawal by midday. “We don’t have to wake up worrying about the next meal. But there are a lot of Americans who do. I think it’s wrong. I think it’s immoral that in the U. S., the richest country in the world, people are hungry.”

Proposed Legislation

Among bills recently introduced in the 110th session of the U.S. Congress are the following:

House Resolution (H.R.) 2633: Introduced by Representative Tom Udall (D-NM) and four co-sponsors, the Healthy Lifestyles and Prevention America (HeLP America) Act would establish a Federal Task Force on Childhood Obesity, expand the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, regulate competitive foods and food advertising in schools, offer incentives for healthier communities and workplaces, and require nutrition labeling of restaurant foods. This bill is a companion bill to S. 1342.

H.R. 2667: Introduced by Representative Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), the Disabled Farmers’ Market Nutrition Pilot Program would authorize $1 million for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish a Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program to serve disabled individuals.

Senate (S.) 1540: Introduced by Senator Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) and five bipartisan co-sponsors, the Hunger Relief Trucking Tax Credit Act would provide a tax credit for the transportation of food for charitable purposes.

S. 1575: Introduced by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and six bipartisan co-sponsors, the Food Employment Empowerment and Development Program Act (FEED Act) would encourage the effective use of community resources to combat hunger and the root causes of hunger by creating opportunity through food recovery and job training.

For bill summary and status information, along with the text of legislation, visit: http://thomas.loc.gov and enter the bill number.

Reports from the Field

The number of hungry people in America is growing from one end of the nation to the other. And almost nowhere are the numbers growing faster than in the nation’s largest city. The following article discussing increases in food insecurity in New York City was published in the New York Daily News of June 7, 2007:

New York is a city of contradictions. And one of the more striking is the persistence of hunger in the richest city in the world. A recent study by the Food Bank For New York reveals that the city’s hunger problem, far from diminishing, is getting steadily worse. The report, “NYC Hunger Experience 2006,” was released on June 5, 2007, National Hunger Awareness Day. Its findings are worrisome.

“This report confirms that there are too many New Yorkers who feel tremendous anxiety about being able to afford proper meals,” said Councilman Eric Gioia (D-Queens). “And that far too many New Yorkers suffer from hunger, as the bursting soup kitchens and food pantries show.”

According to the report, since 2003, the first year data were available, the number of city residents who experienced difficulty affording needed food in the previous 12 months has increased tremendously. While in 2003 the number of people struggling to put food on the table was about 2 million, in 2004 it already was 2.5 million, in 2005 2.6 million and last year it went up to almost 3 million - an increase of 48%!

“These numbers refer to people who are experiencing hunger and also to those who have trouble affording the food they need or the right type of food,” said Aine Duggan, the Food Bank’s vice president of government relations, policy and research. Alarming as they are, these findings are not surprising. For working New Yorkers, a skyrocketing cost of living and stagnant wages are their daily bread.

According to the study, while the cost of food, housing, fuel and other basic expenses has gone through the roof in the last few years, real wages (what you can actually buy with the money you make) have decreased more than 10% since 2003.

“More middle-income people are joining the ranks of those struggling to put food on the table,” Duggan said. “The shrinking middle class is real.” For example, the percentage of New Yorkers with household incomes as high as $50,000 to $74,999 that are having trouble affording the food they need went up to 28 percent last year from 14 percent in 2003, the study found.

“This study shows that there is a certain misconception about what it means to be struggling and hungry in New York,” Gioia said. “It is more widespread than people think. People working full time, the guy who cleans your building at night, the school guard – they all can be having trouble putting the food they need on the table.”

Living paycheck to paycheck has become the norm for a greater number of middle-income New Yorkers, the study found. The number of those who lack savings to fall back on if they lose their jobs or become ill has increased dramatically. Among New Yorkers with annual household incomes ranging from $25,000 to $49,999, for example, the percentage of those not able to afford food immediately after a loss of household income rose to 26 last year from 16 in 2003 – an increase of 63 percent.

Fortunately, there is also some good news. Governor Spitzer just announced an overhaul of the state Food Stamp Program to make it easier for working families to participate. It removes the fingerprint requirement and allows those with more than $2,000 in savings to register. Also, applications will be accepted on the telephone instead of requiring face-to-face interviews. It is expected that 100,000 families will benefit before the end of the year.

“For too long, poverty was a dirty word in politics,” Gioia said. “But now there is the political will to act. We have an obligation to the people.”

Small Bites

Working arrangements: Among U.S. married-couple families in 2006, 62 percent had both parents employed, 31 percent had a mother in the home and father employed, five percent had a father at home and mother employed, and three percent had neither employed.

Plugged into the machines of their age: When asked which device they felt they could not live without, more than 40 percent of seniors 62 and over said television, while less than 10 percent chose either computer or cellphone. The reverse held true for Generation Y (ages 18-26), which preferred computers and cellphones over television.

A sticky shortage: Erratic weather patterns have affected this year’s maple syrup harvest, with national production down 13 percent overall and as much as 25 percent in Maine. The sugar content of the sap is also lower, requiring 45 gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup, five gallons more than usual.

One to a car: A full 88 percent of Americans drive to work and 77 percent of them drive alone. In spite of high gas prices, only 10.7 percent car pool and just five percent take public transportation.

Trash in the air: Only about 20 percent of U.S. airline wastes are recycled. The airlines throw away enough aluminum cans each year to build 58 new 747s.

Know your food: Thanks to new technology from Harvestmark, you can track the origins of your food on the web. Using a 24-digit number on the container, consumers of the company’s fresh fruits and vegetables can quickly learn not only where the food was grown, but when it was grown and which crew picked and packaged it.

mvauthier :: Jun.22.2007 :: Foodlinks America :: No Comments »:: Print This Post

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