27 Jun Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the United States

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Nearly 800 million all over the world face hunger which inhibits the growth of children and affects the economy. The world countries adopted the goal of zero hunger as one of the sustainable development to improve peoples lives by 2030 (WFP, 2018). According to the United Nations World Food Program, the goal of zero hunger is to eradicate hunger, improve the conditions of food security in addition to improving nutrition and promoting the sustainability of agriculture (WFP, 2018). Feeding America and Feed the future is an international initiative that is undertaken by the United States to address global hunger (USAID, 2019).

           Hunger and the economy of a country are related and the hungrier the country has the worse the countrys economy is affected. Chronic hunger leads to micronutrient deficiency and malnourishment, childhood underweight, iron deficiency, and vitamin A deficiency. Food availability depends on the socio-economic status of the country (Gdecke, T., 2018).  Children who face hunger are more likely to have stunted growth both physically and mentally. In the United States, child hunger costs nearly $28biollion per year as poor nourishment leads to long-term health illnesses. In addition, hunger in high school kids leads to increase school absences and low grades which led to a loss of almost $19.2 billion dollars in 2010 (Iowa Food Bank Association, n.d.).

           Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the United States provides a food budget to families who are unable to access healthy food. SNAP program aided 2.5 million people to get out of poverty. The school lunches provided by Feeding America helped in lifting 1.2 million people out of poverty. SNAP program has helped in stimulating the economy in the United States. According to Food Research and Action Center, every $5 that is spent on SNAP benefits provides twice the amount in the economy (FRAC, 2020).