Program Overview
The Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) provides commodity food packages for low-income pregnant and breastfeeding women, other new mothers up to one year postpartum, infants, children up to their sixth birthday, and elderly persons at least 60 years of age who meet income eligibility requirements. CSFP food packages do not provide a complete diet, but rather are good sources of the nutrients typically lacking in the diets of the target population. Eligibility for the program is limited to elderly persons with income at or below 130 percent of poverty. State agencies are responsible for establishing income guidelines for women, infants and children. State agencies store the food and distribute it to public and non-profit private local agencies for further distribution to low-income clients.
When CSFP was initially introduced, it primarily served low-income pregnant and postpartum women and their young children. Over the years, however, as this population has become increasingly served by the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and the senior population has grown, senior participation has grown significantly. At this time, low-income seniors make up more than 90 percent of the overall enrollment in CSFP.
CSFP foods are an essential supplement to the food stamp program for needy mothers, young children, and elderly whose food stamps benefits are too small to allow them buy the foods they need to meet their special dietary conditions. The CSFP is a safety net for specifically targeted populations who fall through the cracks in other food assistance programs. These are people who cannot qualify for, access, or afford the types of essential nutrients provided by the program. The CSFP also serves as an outlet for food commodities acquired by the government for farm support reasons, and encourages the consumption of nutritious fruits and vegetables, dairy and peanut products, cereals, rice, meat and poultry.
CSFP in the States
Currently, 32 states (AK, AZ, CA, CO, IL, IA, IN, KS, KY, LA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, WA & WI) and the District of Columbia participate in CSFP. It is important to note, however, that CSFP commodities may not be available statewide in all of the 32 participating states, as the caseloads allotted for each individual state are often smaller than the number of eligible seniors and families. Four additional states (AR, DE, NJ, OK) have approved applications to join the program should the Congress appropriate sufficient funding.
Concerns
Uncertain funding, rising food prices and the limited scope of the program are serious challenges to this important nutrition program. In President Bush’s FY 2009 budget request, President Bush, for the third year in a row, proposed the elimination of funding for this critical nutrition program. Feeding America strongly opposed this proposal and was at the forefront of efforts to educate lawmakers and the public about the detrimental impact of President Bush’s plan. We were successful in our efforts to secure strong congressional support for the program., Congress funded CSFP at $160.4 million for FY 2009 and President Obama signed the increase in funding into law.
The National CSFP Association and Feeding America strongly supported the continued reauthorization of this program as part of the 2007 Farm Bill and advocated for allocation of sufficient funding during the FY 2009 appropriations process to at least maintain current program caseload.
Rising food prices continue to are having a detrimental effect on the CSFP by reducing the reach of the program and increasing the difficulty to serve those who are eligible. After many years of moderate food price inflation (2 to 3 percent per year), overall prices for food purchases rose by 5.5 percent last year. The USDA released a memorandum of answers to frequently asked questions on February 7,, 2008, that stated that caseload was down slightly in 2008 to 473,473 from 485,614. Food price inflation was the reason for the reduction. USDA also issued updated income guidelines for 2009 on March 27, 2009. The adjusted income guidelines were designed to maintain caseload at 473,473 in FY 2009..” This means that because all available resources were dedicated to sustaining base caseload for currently participating states, the USDA was unable to approve additional caseload requests for currently participating states or add new states to the program in 2009.
And while rising food prices threatens the ability of the program to serve its current caseload, the limited reach of the program also results in a missed opportunity to ensure that more vulnerable seniors and mothers with children who are income eligible for the program can receive the nutrition assistance it provides. Despite the positive role the CSFP plays in the health of vulnerable low-income populations, one of the significant challenges facing the CSFP is its limited reach as a senior nutrition program. It is the only USDA program now focused on serving needy seniors with inadequate diets, yet it does not operate in every state and in the states where it is available, it is normally only available in certain limited geographic areas.
For more information on CFSP, please contact Maura Daly.