On September 9, Nourish California submitted public comment to the Federal Register in response to a proposed rule that seeks comment on a proposed information collection for the contract Serving Supplementation Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Applicants and Participants with Limited English Proficiency (LEP). The purpose of the Servicing SNAP LEP study is “to provide FNS with a comprehensive understanding of the language landscapes in which SNAP and Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP) agencies operate, as well as the LEP policy and operations landscapes.” Our comments focus on “ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected” per the Federal Register (document number 2022-14662).
Nourish California recognizes the root causes of hunger and poverty include the historic and ongoing harms of racial discrimination, systemic racism, xenophobia, and anti-immigrant policies. To eliminate consequent inequities, communities, policymakers, researchers, advocates, and other stakeholders must be able to assess outcomes according to preferred language, among other factors. This requires meaningful measures of how well public services such as the federal nutrition programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), are reaching populations with Limited English Proficiency (LEP).
Our comments include the following recommendations to USDA Food and Nutrition Service:
- Collect and consider input from directly affected households.
- Collect information from applicants/participants rather than relying on proxy metrics.
- Ensure that the selection of case studies (with respect to number and location) will encompass states that serve the majority of SNAP participants/applicants with LEP.
You can read our full comments here.
Have questions? Contact Tia Shimada, Director of Programs, at tia@nourishca.org.
