Responding to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food insecurity

Recessions can markedly increase food insecurity, particularly as households struggle to afford basic necessities, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic-induced recession. In the spring and summer of 2020, approximately 27 percent of U.S. households with children reported frequently being unable to afford food, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey. One contributing factor to this alarming statistic included the closure of schools, which disrupted access to meals that children would typically receive in educational settings. In response to this escalating crisis, federal, state, and local governments enacted programs to stabilize the economy and assist affected families.

In "The effects of lump-sum food benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic on spending, hardship, and health" (National Bureau of Economic Research, Working Paper 33199, November 2024), authors Lauren L. Bauer, Krista J. Ruffini, and Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach focus on the Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) program, introduced as a direct response to the nationwide school closures during the pandemic. During this critical period, the P-EBT program provided families with grocery vouchers equivalent to the value of missed school meals. The authors find that families used these one-time benefits over several weeks, which increased their food spending per eligible student by an amount ranging from $18 to $42 per week. Furthermore, families reported a significant 30-percent decrease in food insufficiency and had improvements in maternal mental health from this support.

Food insecurity is not merely a lack of access to food; it has significant implications for children's health and academic success. The authors point to research that shows that children experiencing food insecurity tend to face poorer health outcomes and have less academic success. Bauer, Ruffini, and Schanzenbach also note that programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are designed to alleviate some of this burden by offering financial assistance during challenging economic times. However, they also cite research that many households exhaust their SNAP benefits early in the month, leading to inconsistent access to nutritious food. Reviewing the relevant literature, they find that increasing the amount of SNAP benefits per family is a potential strategy to smooth out households’ SNAP spending and improve food access for struggling families.

The authors’ study demonstrates that lump-sum, in-kind assistance programs, such as P-EBT, can play a crucial role in effectively reducing food hardship and promoting overall family well-being during economic challenges. By providing targeted support, these programs can help stabilize families' food access and improve children's health and educational outcomes.