A final comment in the discussion session involved older people, who participate in SNAP at much lower rates than younger people. This will become an increasingly important issue as the population ages and also because more grandparents are now raising children. Weill said that two-thirds of SNAP-eligible people get benefits, but among seniors the participation rate is only about 33 percent. He also said that this issue is a high priority for USDA, and AARP is conducting activities involving SNAP in many states.

IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2010. School meals: Building blocks for healthy children. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Puhl, R. M., T. Andreyeva, and K. D. Brownell. 2008. Perceptions of weight discrimination: Prevalence and comparison to race and gender discrimination in America. International Journal of Obesity 32(6):992-1000.

Schwartz, M. B., S. A. Novak, and S. S. Fiore. 2009. The impact of removing snacks of low nutritional value from middle schools. Health Education and Behavior 36(6):999-1011.