Alabama's Child Nutrition Program

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…