Public policy in nutrition: US nutrition safety net past, present, and future

Abstract

The paper reviews the history leading to the creation of the US Safety Net as well as synthesis and critique of evaluation research for the three major programmes: Food Stamps, School Feeding, and WIC. The effects of the cadre of safety net programmes on household income are examined. The recent Welfare Reform Legislation changed the nature and scope of the nutrition safety net. The implications of these changes for income, diet, and nutritional status are discussed as well as critical issues for maintaining the effectiveness of the nutrition safety net in the future.