| Detailed Objective: This project gathers information and solicit expert opinion regarding options that can be used by USDA to better monitor, investigate, measure, and annually report on the extent of food stamp trafficking using Electronic Benefit Transfer data.
The prevention and monitoring of food stamp trafficking is a major public policy concern. Food stamp trafficking is defined as the exchange of Food Stamp Program benefits by authorized retailers for cash. This project will: (1) gather information necessary to develop a data collection and modeling framework for annually measuring and reporting the extent of food stamp trafficking nationally, using Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) data; and (2) gather information necessary to produce tools that will help the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) direct resources to where trafficking is most likely occurring, including the identification of specific retailers. The two main outputs of this project are a discussion document and an expert panel meeting, which will provide a basis for further progress on this topic.
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