A literature review of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: history, experience, discourse, and policy

This literature review has two primary goals: to illuminate the lived experiences of SNAP participants across demographics in academic literature and to better understand the history, discourse, and policy that have shaped these experiences. To do this, the literature review begins with a brief history of Food Stamps and SNAP in the United States before transitioning into more recent updates regarding SNAP. This literature review compiles a range of peer reviewed articles which illustrate how stigma can become multi-layered relative to identity. As suspected, the experience of SNAP is not a monolithic one, but there are key themes that drive stigma including guilt, shame, assumed ineligibility, and self-reliance.