The Thrifty Food Plan Is Not Thrifty When Labor Cost Is Considered

Recent research has shown that the typical Supplemental Food Assistance Program (SNAP) family falls short in meeting the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) nutritional guidelines that underlie the SNAP even when they typically have sufficient monetary resources to eat a healthful diet (i.e. to follow the TFP recommendations). However, the TFP does not consider labor cost. This study uses a basic labor economics technique to value labor in a home food production scenario that is required to reach the TFP nutrition and budget targets and calculates the total cost (inclusive of labor) associated with the TFP. This TFP consistent total cost is then compared, using several metrics, with the total cost associated with actual choices made by those families sharing the same profiles as current SNAP participants. Once labor is included, we find the TFP is not very thrifty and the mean household falls short of the TFP guidelines even with adequate monetary resources.