Based on actions taken by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s administration during his first term in office, some organizations are voicing concerns that he might try to alter and potentially weaken the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) after he takes office in January – which will in turn impact seafood consumption.
SNAP is the largest federal program aimed at combating hunger in the U.S. and supports around 42 million beneficiaries.
SNAP households spend more than non-SNAP households when shopping, according to a new Circana report, and SNAP recipients also account for 24 percent of total consumer products goods spending in the country, according to a 2023 Numerator report.
During Trump’s first presidential term, his administration attempted to revoke SNAP eligibility for approximately 700,000 unemployed people, per Grocery Dive, and heading into Trump’s second administration funding for nutrition programs such as WIC and SNAP may be similarly at risk, Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) Policy Associate Erin Ogden told SeafoodSource.
“Despite WIC's proven history of improving pregnancy outcomes and child nutrition, funding the program has recently received less bipartisan support. If WIC is not fully funded, mothers, infants, and young children who are nutritionally at-risk will be turned away and won't benefit from important health services and nutritious food,” Ogden said.
Likewise, CSPI anticipates Trump’s administration may attempt to …
