Food Stamps and Hunger in America

There is hunger in the welfare state; everywhere standards are chronically inadequate. The most glaring inadequacy of the welfare system—the diet of the poor—has been patched over by supplementary programs: first surplus commodities, now food stamps, both administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The administration and operation of these programs reveal a deep ambiguity in the government’s commitment to assure an adequate diet to those in need. Recently in co...