# Plain Language Summary: SNAP Nutrition Security Act of 2023

This bill aims to improve the quality of food that people buy with SNAP benefits (the federal food assistance program, formerly known as food stamps) and to better track what foods people are actually purchasing. Right now, SNAP helps tens of millions of households put food on the table, but the bill recognizes two big problems: over 10 million households still don't have reliable access to food, and about half of all American adults have preventable diseases like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease that are linked to poor eating habits. The bill's main goal is to help SNAP do double duty—reduce hunger while also helping people eat healthier foods that prevent chronic diseases.

To make this happen, the bill requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture to collect detailed information about what specific foods people are buying with SNAP benefits at grocery stores. This data collection would come from stores that use modern checkout systems and would help the government understand purchasing patterns without identifying individual shoppers or stores. The bill also requires the USDA to publish annual reports to Congress analyzing whether SNAP participants and non-participants have adequate access to healthy food, and what changes to the program might improve nutrition and food security.

Additionally, the bill adds new official definitions to the SNAP law for terms like "diet quality" (how well foods match government dietary guidelines), "food security" (having reliable access to enough food for a healthy life), and "nutrition security" (having consistent access to affordable, healthy foods). States that receive SNAP nutrition education funding would also need to report back to the federal government about what they're doing to improve food and nutrition security in their communities, and offer recommendations for how the program could work better.

In practical terms, this bill doesn't immediately change what people can buy with SNAP or how much assistance they receive. Instead, it's focused on gathering better information and setting a policy direction that future program changes should prioritize both fighting hunger and improving the nutritional quality of food that low-income families can afford.

SNAP Nutrition Security Act of 2023

Gottheimer, Josh

SNAP Nutrition Security Act of 2023This bill expands the policy of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to include reducing food insecurity, increasing nutrition security, and improving diet quality for low-income people in the United States. It also&nbsp;requires additional&nbsp;related reporting by states and the Department of Agriculture (USDA).The bill defines (1) food security as access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life; (2) nutrition security as consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, affordable foods essential to optimal health and well-being; and (3) diet quality as the extent to which a set of foods aligns with key recommendations of the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans.Under current requirements, a state agency that provides nutrition education and obesity prevention services under SNAP must submit an annual report to USDA. The bill requires the report to include (1) state actions taken to enhance the food and nutrition security of SNAP participants, and (2) recommendations regarding administering SNAP in a manner that would enhance state food and nutrition security in the state.Further, USDA must submit an annual report to Congress on U.S. food security, nutrition security, and diet quality.USDA must use data collected from retail stores participating in SNAP to&nbsp;submit a report to Congress at least every four years on food sales in SNAP.&nbsp;The report must be made publicly available and include an analysis of the specific food items acquired with SNAP benefits by eligible households.