Alabama's Child Nutrition Program

Alabama residents who depend on SNAP benefits for groceries are facing what could be a tough November. State officials say there will be no food stamp dollars next month, and it’s not just hungry families who may be hit. Eighteen rural Alabama counties are reportedly at risk of losing grocery stores if SNAP benefits are cut. The Center for American Progress used data from the USDA for its findings with Dallas and Wilcox counties at the top of the list.

The Alabama Department of Human Resources confirmed that recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP or Food Stamps will not receive aid during the month of November. Federal funding for the benefits was anticipated to end on Saturday due to the ongoing federal budget shutdown. The website USA Facts says over 750,000 Alabamians use SNAP to ensure they have enough to eat.

Officials in Louisiana, Vermont and Virginia pledged this week to keep food aid flowing to recipients in their states, even if the federal program is stalled next month because of the government shutdown. Alabama’s plans, if any, remain under wraps with the November first deadline looming for an end to federal money. The state is not responding to questions from the press about what happens this coming Saturday.

Alabama grocery shoppers have been hearing a lot about what goes into what they eat. The Trump administration is taking aim at artificial dyes that are used to make what goes on U.S. dinner plates more appealing. That’s expected to change in about two years when those chemical additives will be banned

For the almost two million Alabamians grocery store shelves loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables are often out of reach. That’s because they live in what are called food deserts. Those are rural and urban settings where poverty is higher, education is lower, and supermarkets are often non-existent. That leaves so called “dollar stores” as the only grocery option for a growing number of Alabamians facing food insecurity. Last week, we reported on what changes to food stamps might mean for Alabama’s hungriest residents. Today she teams up with a local chef to better understand the challenges of Alabamians living in food deserts.

Hundreds of thousands of Alabamians could be impacted by a budget plan under consideration in the U.S. House. The Republican majority is looking at three hundred billion dollars in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program also known as SNAP. The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities says about three quarters of a million Alabamians used the federal food program in 2024.

Alabama families are paying slightly less at the grocery store after a 1% reduction in the state sales tax on food took effect this month. State lawmakers in June approved legislation to gradually remove half of the 4% state sales tax on food, capping decades of fruitless attempts at such a tax cut.

State officials are providing help for families with hungry students. The Alabama Department of Human Resources is doing this by extending summer Pandemic benefits for the third consecutive year.

Nearly 30 Alabama school systems are participating in a program to provide free breakfasts and lunches to all their students.The Gadsden Times reports the…