Blog: Beyond Full Bellies: How to Communicate The Shared Benefits and Ripple effects of SNAP

As public health advocates, we know that food is foundational to well-being. And for decades, SNAP has been an effective tool for improving health and reducing poverty in the United States. Yet too often, the public conversation about SNAP is dominated by harmful and inaccurate stereotypes that ignore the program’s broad benefits to families, local economies, and communities.

With an abundance of media attention currently on SNAP, public health advocates have an opportunity — and a responsibility — to reframe these discussions. By centering shared values like health, fairness, and community, we can shift the narrative and remind decision-makers that everyone benefits when people have access to the food they need.

Although the administration has agreed to partially fund SNAP after two federal judges ruled that the Trump administration must keep the food aid program running, many details remain unclear. As many as 42 million people are in limbo, with anxiety and uncertainty looming around when they will be able to buy groceries again.

The sample messages below can help communicators tell a more complete story about SNAP at any time, not just amid urgent crises. These messages were adapted from “Making the Case for Medicaid: 6 Tips for Speaking Out” (a recent blog from BMSG and The FrameWorks Institute) and can be tailored to any community.

Each message includes several core elements for developing messages, which can be used when discussing SNAP or any critical health issue. Effective messages should:

• Name the problem (What’s wrong?);
• Include a values statement (Why does it matter?);
• Name a solution (What should we do, and who should do it?); and
• Illustrate the broader context beyond individuals.

While you can use these components in any order, stating your values and proposed solution early helps to engage readers and listeners. Once you have answered these questions, you will have the core of your message, which then can be expanded or distilled, depending on the format you plan to use to deliver it.

Sample message: Ripple effects of SNAP cuts

SNAP is how we collectively ensure that food is available everywhere and for everyone as a way to have a stronger, healthier country. It allows millions of people to put healthy, nutritious meals on the table and is essential for the oldest and youngest among us: 1 in 5 program participants are seniors over 60, while 2 in 5 are children.

Currently, 42 million U.S. residents are stuck in limbo, as details remain unclear on when the Trump administration’s USDA will release funds so that people can access their food benefits. When people are not able to keep their fridges stocked, children with empty bellies will not be able to concentrate in school, and grandparents will have a harder time staying healthy. And the harms of hunger ripple out far beyond SNAP recipients themselves: When families have less to spend, grocers’ shelves empty, paychecks shrink, farmers suffer, and local stores shutter their doors. Our local elected officials must [insert solutions relevant to your local audience, such as “provide local supplemental funding” or “expand funding for food banks”] and fight for a nation where no one goes hungry.

Sample message: Ripple effects of robust access to SNAP

Our communities thrive when everyone can put healthy food on the table. 42 million people in the U.S, including more than 16 million children, rely on SNAP to stay fed. When families use SNAP, students come to school with full bellies and, in turn, do better in school. The benefits of SNAP don’t stop in childhood: Adults who used SNAP as children have lower risks of heart disease as adults, which means SNAP saves lives. The ripple effects show up everywhere: When families swipe their EBT card at the market, grocers order more produce and keep their cashiers employed, farmers sell more crops, and truck drivers keep the supply chain moving.

Funding SNAP is a commonsense solution that not only keeps people fed, but fuels the economic well-being of our communities: Every SNAP dollar stretches even further — growing into $1.50-$1.80 of economic activity, like grocery sales, jobs, and community spending, in our neighborhoods. This is especially critical when people are facing growing unemployment and rising food prices. SNAP spending supports food and beverage manufacturers, wholesalers, grocers, transportation companies, and farmers. Our communities are stronger when they don’t have to worry about where their next meal is coming from, so they can look after their health and well-being. Keeping SNAP adequately funded is a crucial part of that. The Trump administration’s USDA must use its authority to keep food aid flowing, just as the agency has done in previous shutdowns.

Sample message: SNAP is the solution to a rigged system

SNAP dollars land right at the local market, keeping shelves stocked and cashiers, clerks, and farmers on the job. SNAP ensures everyone has access to food, and it strengthens local economies in ways that benefit neighbors and the whole community — even those who don’t rely on SNAP themselves. Right now, tens of millions of families are under stress and unsure of when they will regain access to their benefits. We still have work to do to ensure that all communities have enough healthy food to eat and have a full and fair chance to live a healthy life. That’s just common sense.

We can’t let our leaders continue to rig the system in favor of the ultra-wealthy at the expense of ordinary people, like our grandparents, children, and veterans. Together, we can demand leaders protect SNAP and choose policies that put everyday people first. The Trump administration’s USDA must use contingency funds to keep food aid flowing, and when the government reopens, any delayed or missed payments should be issued retroactively.

A version of this blog was first published on BSMG’s website.

Originally published by Berkeley Media Studies Group