Research

Reports

*Check our specific food program pages for additional reports.

Selected Abstracts

Title: Uncovering the Causes: Trends in the Food Stamp Program in California

Title: Improving Child Care and Children’s Health through the Child Care Food Program: Policy and program recommendations to expand and improve the Child Care Food Program in California

Title: Improving Child Care and Children’s Health through the Child Care Food Program: Policy and program recommendations to expand and improve the Child Care Food Program in California

Title: School’s Out…Who Ate? California Summer Food Service Program 2000 report.

Title: Collaborative Study of Persons Receiving Emergency Food In Twelve California Counties

Title: Impact of Legal Immigrant Food Stamp Cuts in Los Angeles and San Francisco

Title: California Food Stamp Application Study, California Food Policy Advocates

 

Title: Uncovering the Causes: Trends in the Food Stamp Program in California.  A study conducted for California Food Policy Advocates San Francisco, CA by Greg Paulos at the Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley.  August, 2000.

Background and Methods: Since 1995, participation in the Food Stamp Program in California has dropped by more than 40 percent, and a particularly severe drop has been observed since August 22, 1996, the effective date of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunities Act, the federal welfare reform legislation that markedly changed both the federal cash and nutrition assistance programs.  This study examines what role the nation’s prosperity has played in shrinking participation in the program.  In order to understand the causes of the drop, the study uses U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey data for California for 1996, 1997, and 1998 to examine rates of food stamp eligibility and income levels among those eligible for benefits for the same three years. The study then goes on to examine the participation rates among those eligible for benefits, again for the same three years.  Finally, the study develops a regression equation to assist in identifying variables associated with the observed trends in participation. The study examines California residents only.  It eliminates from the data set all households containing non-citizens and able bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs). 

 

Findings: The first finding from the study indicated that food stamp eligibility rates increased during the three-year period from 1996 to 1998, suggesting that the state’s economic prosperity has not decreased the proportion of California residents who met the eligibility requirements for the Food Stamp Program.  The second finding showed that the mean incomes of those eligible for food stamps declined from 1996 to 1997 to 1998.  The third finding indicated that the participation rate among eligibles declined markedly from 1996 to 1997 and then only partially recovered from 1997 to 1998.  The regression analysis indicated a greater actual participation drop than income, race, gender, and participation in public assistance would predict, suggesting that some other factor(s) played a role in the decline in participation.

 

Allin, Susan and Harold Beebout.  “Determinants of Participation in the Food Stamp Program: A Review of the Literature.”  Alexandria, VA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, 1989.

 

Bolen, Ed and Brian Lawlor.  “A Resource Guide to the California Food Stamp Program.” San Francisco, California Food Policy Advocates, 1999.

 

Brauner, Sarah and Sheila R. Zedlewski.  “Declines in Food Stamp and Welfare Participation: Is There a Connection? “  Washington, DC: The Urban Institute, 1999.

 

Castner, Laura and Scott Cody.  “Trends in Food Stamp Participation Rates: Focus on September 1997.”  Alexandria, VA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, 1999.

 

Daponte, Beth, Seth Sanders and Lowell Taylor.  “Why do Low-Income Households Not Use Food Stamps?”  The Journal of Human Resources.  Vol.34 No.3.  Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press, Summer 1999.

 

Seavey Dorie, Ashley Sullivan, and Sandra Venner.  “Paradox of Our Times: Hunger in a Strong Economy.”  Medford, Massachusetts: Center on Hunger and Poverty, 2000.

 

United States General Accounting Office.  “Food Stamp Program: Various Factors Have Led to Declining Participation.”  Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1999.

 

Title: Improving Child Care and Children’s Health through the Child Care Food Program: Policy and program recommendations to expand and improve the Child Care Food Program in California by Colleen Kavanagh, Director, Child Nutrition Programs, California Food Policy Advocates, San Francisco, CA.  August, 1999.

 

Background and Methods: The Child Care Food Program (CCFP) is a federal nutrition program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) through California’s Department of Education (CDE).  Recognizing the value of the Child Care Food Program (CCFP) in addressing California’s child care and health crises and the need for expansion and improvement of the program, over 100 child care and nutrition experts and administrators gathered in Sacramento, California on March 22-23, 1999, for the first Child Care Food Program Futures and Integrity Summit.  The purpose of the meeting was to discuss how to improve child care in California through the expansion and improvement of CCFP.  This report is a summary of the discussions at the meetings and the recommendations that came from them. 

 

Findings and Recommendations:  The Child Care Food Program improves the health status of children and the availability and quality of childcare by serving California’s working families, raising the nutrition status of children, supporting and expanding the quantity of childcare, and increasing the quality of childcare.  The policy recommendations that came from these findings include: all child care facilities should participate in the Child Care Food Program; the Child Care Food Program should be linked to other health initiatives; and administration and oversight of the Child Care Food Program should be strengthened to facilitate this dual expansion.

 


Title:  School’s Out…Who Ate?  California Summer Food Service Program 2000 report. California Food Policy Advocates, San Francisco, CA.  September, 2000.

 

Background and Methods:  The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is designed to provide free, nutritious meals to children from low-income households who, during the school year, depend upon free and reduced-price school meals as a significant source of their daily nutrition.  In year-round academic settings, this program is also utilized to provide free meals to children during off-track periods throughout the year.  The purpose of this report is help schools and organizations identify the existing need for SFSP in their communities.  The report contains a county-by-county breakdown of the 1998-1999 data for California SFSP sponsors, sites and participation rates, including the number of children still unserved.

 

Findings and Recommendations:  In 1999, California witnessed a 9.7% increase in participation in the program, as well as an increase in the number of sponsors and sites offering the program.  This increase can be attributed to the diverse outreach efforts of sponsors and advocates, and also to the effective administration of the program by California’s Department of Education.  Despite this increase, SFSP remains the most underutilized of all federal child nutrition programs.  In California, only 9% of the children enrolled in free and reduced-price lunch programs during the school year participated in the SFSP (when children eating summer school lunches was considered, the two programs fed approximately 34% of the eligible population).  Increased availability of funds via start-up and expansion grants to non-profits and governmental agencies, implementing a seamless program to combine SFSP administration with that of other child nutrition programs, and community level activities to increase sponsor and site numbers, are some of the ways the SFSP could be expanded in the future.

 


 Title: Collaborative Study of Persons Receiving Emergency Food In Twelve California Counties, California Food Policy Advocates in collaboration with Catholic Charities, Sacramento City & County Hunger Commission, St. Anthony Foundation, San Francisco, Camarillo Community Church, Ventura, Catholic Social Services, Solano County, May 1998.

 

Background and Methods:  The California Food Security Monitoring Project (CFSMP) was designed by California Food Policy Advocates to measure the prevalence of food insecurity and hunger in the state’s low-income population over several years.  The study was a collaborative effort between California Food Policy Advocates and local agencies supported by Catholic Charities and other organizations.  These agencies were invited to collaborate in using the USDA Food Security Measure to study the prevalence of hunger and food insecurity among their client population using emergency food and other charitable social services, such as free clinics or clothing donations. Twelve counties, with a mix of urban and rural sites, are represented in the survey.

 

Findings and Recommendations:  The statewide results, based on face-to-face interviews with a random sample of 823 households at 26 emergency food and charitable social services agencies, indicate a very high prevalence of food insecurity and hunger among this group of extremely impoverished Californians. Nearly all (97%) clients in this study were living at or below the poverty line, and over half were living in extreme poverty – less than 30% of the poverty threshold.  In this study, 27% of households randomly selected into the study sample were experiencing food insecurity with severe hunger, and 33% were food insecure with moderate hunger present – an overall hunger prevalence rate of 60%.  Households reporting that their food stamp benefits had been cut in the past year had significantly higher hunger rates than households reporting that they did not have their food stamps cut.  Immigrant families who had some or all of their food stamps cut had the highest percent of hungry households of any other group in this sample.  Seventy-five percent of these immigrant households were suffering from hunger because they didn’t have enough money for food.  Since this study design included a validated and widely used survey instrument, a random sample of a distinct population, and careful quality control of all aspects of data collection, the findings are particularly powerful and compelling.

 


Title:  Impact of Legal Immigrant Food Stamp Cuts in Los Angeles and San Francisco.  California Food Policy Advocates.  May, 1998.

Background and Methods:  As part of federal welfare reform, most legal immigrants lost federal food stamp benefits as of August 22, 1997.  Despite the Legislature’s partial restoration of food stamps with a state-funded program, the reductions in food assistance have been substantial. California is home to at least 40% of the nation’s legal immigrant population. (Undocumented immigrants have never been eligible for food stamps or public assistance).  In September 1997, California Food Policy Advocates approached several county welfare departments and requested their cooperation in using the USDA Food Security Measure to study the impact of the legal immigrant food stamp reductions.  From a total population of food stamp households having at least one non-citizen member, a random sample was drawn from those scheduled to come in for recertification or verification interviews during the months of November 1997 (Los Angeles only), January 1998 (San Francisco) and March 1998 (Los Angeles). The sampled population was divided into impacted cases (i.e., those with at least one member who had lost food stamp benefits due to the legal immigrant provision), and controls (i.e., those where no household member lost food stamps.)  County eligibility workers administered the survey questionnaire in face-to-face interviews with heads of households who voluntarily agreed to participate. Translated surveys in six languages and translation services were available.  In November, 403 valid, randomly sampled surveys were completed (186 cases, 217 controls), and in March, 376 surveys were completed (210 cases, 166 controls).

Findings:  The results from both counties provide clear evidence that legal immigrant families whose food stamp benefits were reduced are experiencing significantly more food insecurity and hunger than those households who did not lose benefits.  Children in immigrant families have not been protected from these negative impacts, since most live in households that are experiencing very high and worsening rates of food insecurity and severe hunger. 

The Los Angeles data show that this situation worsened in the past half year since the reductions were implemented.  By March, impacted immigrant households with children in Los Angeles were one third more likely to experience the most serious food problems — food insecurity with severe hunger — than similar immigrant households not impacted by the food stamp cuts; and one third more likely to experience moderate hunger as well.  Based on these hunger rates, and using food stamp participation data from Los Angeles County, an estimated 69,000 children live in households where: (1) at least one legal immigrant lost food stamps and (2) food insecurity with moderate to severe hunger is present. This reflects an increase of 9,000 children from November 1997 to March 1998. 

In San Francisco, by January, legal immigrant households whose benefits had been cut were experiencing significantly more hunger than non-impacted households.  Immigrant households that were cut off food stamps were almost twice as likely (173%) to experience the most serious food problems — food insecurity with severe hunger -- than those who were not; and over half as likely (56%) to experience food insecurity with moderate hunger.  Moreover, adult households that were cut off food stamps experienced the most serious food problems — food insecurity with severe hunger — at a rate that was over five times higher (538%) than was found in households that were not cut. 

 

 

 

Title:  California Food Stamp Application Study, California Food Policy Advocates – Report due to be published in October, 2000.

 

Background and Methods:  A 1999 national study conducted by the USDA titled, “Customer Service in the Food Stamp Program” found that the average application time for food stamps involves nearly five hours and at least two trips to the food stamp office. In California, several innovative and creative county agencies are taking it upon themselves to improve access for food stamp recipients.  The purpose of the current study is a follow-up to the national study, to determine whether the national findings hold true in these innovative agencies in California.  The study was conducted in four counties within California to determine the total time an applicant spends in the county welfare office as part of the food stamp application process.  Only new applicants to the food stamp program or previous applicants who were reapplying were asked to participate in the study.  In addition, the time invested by the applicant to the average benefit received was also studied.  All applicants carried around a Study Time Log, listing all the steps in the food stamp application process. Agency staff then time stamped the log each time the applicant completed a step in the process.    

For additional information, please contact George Manalo-LeClair, at (415) 777.4422 x 103 or george@cfpa.net.