GBPI Releases Statement on Farm Bill: Food Security is Top of Mind for Georgians

GEORGIA - A recent Georgia Budget and Policy Institute (GBPI) poll of Georgia voters found that more than 80% of respondents believe that cutting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits when food prices are still high would be a mistake. This makes sense as many respondents reported challenges affording food in the past year.

A little more than 50% of respondents said they had a challenge to afford the cost in the last 12 months. That was the highest response percentage compared to other essentials. More than 60% of respondents with less than $25,000 a year in annual income and respondents living in South Georgia had a challenge affording food in the past 12 months.

About 48% of respondents said that in the past year they sometimes or often worried that they would run out of food before they had money to buy more. While respondents of most income levels experienced this concern, people with the lowest incomes had the highest responses that this happened often or sometimes in the past year.

84% of respondents said cutting SNAP at a time when food prices are high is unfair to people who are food insecure. Respondents across ideology and political parties agreed to this idea. This includes 80% of Republicans, 88% of Democrats, and 81% of Independents.

"SNAP is one of best tools our country has to fight food insecurity," says Ife Finch Floyd, Director of Economic Justice at GBPI. "Research not only finds that the program reduces food insecurity by about 30%, but it also supports health, financial stability and children's long-term outcomes."

As Congress considers the Farm Bill, which authorizes SNAP and other agriculture programs, it should protect the SNAP program from cuts as the program's benefits are far and wide-reaching

SNAP provides food assistance to low-income Georgians who have trouble affording the cost of food. In October 2024, it assisted nearly 1.6 million people. Research finds SNAP reduces food insecurity by about 30%, boosts health outcomes and children's long-term success.

The program also supports local economies throughout the state. There are about 10,000 SNAP retailers across Georgia. In federal fiscal year 2024, about $3 billion in federally funded SNAP benefits flowed into these retailers and into the local economies.

You can find the poll questions results in our recent blog. Questions and responses were taken from Georgia Budget & Policy Institute's Survey Conducted by the University of Georgia's SPIA Survey Research Center September 11, 2024.

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