THE REAL COST OF NUTRITION: EXPLAINING PURCHASE DECISIONS OF FOOD STAMP RECIPIENTS IN FOUR CALIFORNIA COUNTIES

Links between poverty and obesity may be mediated by food purchase decisions. Price and the family not feeling hungry are two leading motivators of food purchase decisions. The Dietary Guidelines (DG) provide recommended servings but do not consider purchase price. The Food Stamp (FS) Program uses the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) to support access to nutritious diets on a limited budget. The TFP is adjusted for changes in national budget but not regional differences and few families receive the maximum allocation. Although the DG and TFP provide unit amounts for consumption, FS allocations do not consider original supermarket unit amount that must be initially purchased. This study examined actual market food unit prices required to meet DG and TFP for a family of four for one week. Prices were collected in four California counties in a chain supermarket and a market frequented by FS recipients. Food unit prices varied slightly by county and type of market with most variation being foods with short shelf‐lives. The average monthly FS allotment in California for a family of four is $178 and it is evident in all counties, the price of actual market units to comply with DG and the TFP would meet or exceed average monthly allotments within 2 weeks. This may impact food purchase decisions to less nutritious sources during the last weeks of the food stamp cycle.