The (Not so) Thrifty Food Plan

by Hannah Gruber

​My work with the Critical Food Studies Lab has been working with the lab’s Co-director, Angela Babb, and her project with the Thrifty Food Plan. The Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) provides the basis for food stamp allotments given by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). It uses an algorithm to determine market baskets containing sufficient nutrients for a healthy person based on age and sex. It has become increasingly clear that the allotments are not enough to cover the nutritious diet suggested by the TFP, especially for those who have specific diet restrictions such as allergies or intolerances.

Previous members of the Lab made a new model based on George Stigler’s calculations, proving that it is not possible to achieve nutrient recommendations at a minimal cost. Unfortunately, the data from this model is outdated and from early 2000s data that the 2006 TFP uses. During my time in this lab, I’ve been working on recreating this model with updated nutrient profiles, food groups, and upper and lower limits for each nutrient. Some of this data comes from the USDA’s 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) where they provide information beneficial for policymakers and health professionals to influence Americans’ diets.

I hit a few bumps along the way, such as struggling to find data that fit the criteria needed for the new model. The USDA’s new DGAs reduced the food groups from 58 groups in the 2006 TFP model to just 19 food groups. An example of one of the updated food groups is Vegetables which includes subgroups Dark Green (broccoli), Red-orange (carrots), Beans and Peas, Starches (corn), and Other (cauliflower). The upper and lower limits given in the new DGAs are largely the same as the ones used in the 2006 TFP and reflect a range of data from the late 1990s through early 2000s. The limits give a range of safe levels of nutrients that can be consumed without negative health effects. Some of the nutrients don’t have any data on limits so we are assuming there are not substantial consequences from low or high intakes.

I finally managed to combine all of this information into a new spreadsheet and will be moving on from here to something slightly new. This summer I plan to continue working with the TFP, but this time with the market baskets. I will go to all of the food outlets in Bloomington and attempt to purchase the market baskets within the amount allotted by the TFP. I’m looking forward to continuing my work with the TFP, but on a local level. I am hoping to find some interesting information on Bloomington’s grocery prices and whether or not any of the stores will be able to provide a (not so thrifty) food plan. Hopefully my work will contribute more proof that people using SNAP are not given enough to sustain a nutritious diet.

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