Background 

In the Food Stamp Program, States have the 

option to provide nutrition education to food 

stamp recipients and eligible non-participants as 

part of their administrative operations. The 

scope of food stamp nutrition education (FSNE) 

has expanded rapidly since its inception – with 

the Federal share of costs growing from less 

than $1 million in 1992 to $228 million in 2004. 

The goal of FSNE is to provide educational 

programs that increase, within a limited budget, 

the likelihood that food stamp recipients make 

healthy food choices and choose active lifestyles 

consistent with the most recent advice reflected 

in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and 

MyPyramid. Within this general guidance, 

however, States have the flexibility to design a 

wide variety of nutrition education initiatives 

and operate through contracted implementing 

agencies, local projects and various partner 

organizations. 

This report presents a comprehensive and 

systematic national description of food stamp 

nutrition education operations in fiscal year (FY) 

2004. It also provides a comparison of those 

operations to the standards of excellence for 

nutrition education developed as the Food Stamp 

Nutrition Education Guiding Principles,

released by FNS in September 2005. 

Findings 

Food stamp nutrition education has a broad 

reach, but is not universally available. Over 

80 percent of U.S. counties had some nutrition 

education in FY 2004, although the breath and 

depth of services varies. In general, providers 

felt they were targeting populations most in need 

of services, and, for the most part, reaching 

them. Reasons for gaps in service included 

difficulties obtaining non-Federal funding to 

match the Federal contribution and the challenge 

of reaching hard-to-serve populations such as 

working adults or seniors. 

The majority of persons receiving nutrition 

education are food stamp recipients and 

eligibles. Although participant data are limited, 

providers estimate that about half of those who 

received nutrition education in FY 2004 were 

food stamp recipients and applicants, and about 

one quarter were eligible non-participants (with 

income at or below 130 percent of the federal 

poverty level). 

Nutrition education activities are largely 

directed at children and women. Providers 

estimate that 42 percent of nutrition education 

participants were school-age children and about 

25 percent were adult women. Public schools 

and other youth education sites were the most 

commonly reported settings for food stamp 

nutrition education. 

Food stamp nutrition education activities are 

numerous and diverse. The most common 

types of interventions were a series of group 

classes and communications through brochures, 

flyers, bus wraps, and public service 

announcements. About one-third of providers 

reported using social marketing approaches. 

FSNE participants may not understand that 

the nutrition education services they receive 

are a benefit of the Food Stamp Program.

While 94 percent of State food stamp agencies 

and 88 percent of implementing agencies viewed 

nutrition education as a Food Stamp Program 

benefit, fewer promoted it as such. Many local 

providers were reluctant to associate their 

activities with the Food Stamp Program, other 

than on printed materials, expressing concern 

that stigma could be a barrier to client 

participant in nutrition education. 

State food stamp agencies contract with a 

variety of organizations to provide nutrition 

FOOD STAMP NUTRITION EDUCATION 

SYSTEMS REVIEW: SUMMARY

Office of Analysis, Nutrition and Evaluation September 2006 
Page 2 

education. Most providers (55 percent) were 

USDA Cooperative Extension Service 

organizations within land grant universities; the 

remainder was a combination of State and local 

health agencies, emergency food providers and 

networks or coalitions of multiple agencies. 

Implementing agencies are the key decision 

makers regarding nutrition education 

planning and implementation. In FY 2004, 

the role of State food stamp agencies was 

limited and varied by activity. States were most 

likely to be involved in the selection of target 

audiences and with funding decisions. Local 

food stamp office involvement was usually 

limited to distributing nutrition education 

brochures and manuals. 

Evaluation activity is common, but the focus 

of evaluations varies and the results are 

inconclusive. The majority of implementing 

agencies (74 percent) reported that they 

conducted outcome evaluations on at least some 

aspects of FSNE services in FY 2004. However, 

providers often did not distinguish between 

program monitoring activities and outcome 

evaluation. Likewise, the typical evaluation 

approach may not support strong conclusions 

about the effect of FSNE on desired behavioral 

outcomes. 

On average, total food stamp nutrition 

education spending in FY 2004 was slightly 

more than $12 per food stamp participant. 

State spending varied considerably, with half 

spending between $6 and $19 per food stamp 

participant. Total outlays ranged from $20,000 

in Hawaii to $65 million in California, with a 

median State total of $3.5 million. 

Method 

The FSNE Systems Review collected 

information in three stages. First, data were 

extracted from each State’s FY 2004 FSNE 

planning documents. Second, web-based 

surveys were conducted of all State food stamp 

agencies and all implementing agencies they 

contracted with to provide nutrition education 

services in FY 2004. Survey response rates 

were high with completed surveys received from 

50 out of 52 State food stamp agencies (96 

percent) and 84 out of 93 implementing agencies 

(90 percent). Lastly, on-site in-depth interviews 

were conducted with FSNE officials for a 

sample of State food stamp agencies, 

implementing agencies, local project directors, 

nutrition educators, and program partners in 28 

States. A systematic random sample of 

implementing agencies ensured appropriate 

representation by organizational type, FSNE 

budget and geographic distribution. The sample 

was expanded to include State food stamp 

agencies associated with the sampled 

implementing agencies and a purposeful sample 

of their local projects and partners. The final 

number of interviews included 27 State food 

stamp agencies, 34 implementing agencies, 24 

State-level partners, 67 local projects, 43 local 

partners, and 32 nutrition educators. 

For More Information 

Bell, L. and Tao, F. et al. (2006). Food Stamp 

Nutrition Education Systems Review: Final 

Report. Prepared by Abt Associates for the 

Food and Nutrition Service. Available on-line at 

www.fns.usda.gov/oane 

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