About SNAP-Ed

Food Stamp Nutrition Education

The goal of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Nutrition Education (SNAP-Ed) is to improve the likelihood that SNAP participants and eligibles will make healthy choices within a limited budget and choose active lifestyles consistent with the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid.

SNAP-Ed in Arizona

In Arizona, SNAP-Ed is provided statewide through the Arizona Nutrition Network (AzNN). The Arizona Nutrition Network links comprehensive social marketing and community education efforts to change dietary behaviors among SNAP participants and SNAP eligibles in Arizona. Utilizing social marketing principles, AzNN conducts three message-specific campaigns each year. The messages include eating more fruits and vegetables, drinking 1% or less fat milk, and eating healthy meals. In Fiscal Year 2007, a total of 179,629 participants received SNAP-Ed services and a total of 3,060,619 direct nutrition education contacts were provided by partners. More than 228 million indirect nutrition education contacts/media impressions were achieved and nearly 4,000 food demonstrations were conducted.

SNAP-Ed Guiding Principles

  1. SNAP-Ed is intended for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants and eligibles for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
     
  2. SNAP-Ed is a set of learning experiences designed to facilitate the voluntary adoption of eating and other nutrition-related behaviors conducive to health and well being for those on a limited budget.
     
  3. SNAP-Ed has the greatest potential impact on the nutrition-related behaviors of the overall SNAP population when it targets women and children in SNAP eligible households.
     
  4. SNAP-Ed uses science-based, behaviorally-focused interventions and can maximize its national impact by concentrating on a small set of key outcomes.
     
  5. SNAP-Ed can maximize its reach when coordination and collaboration take place among a variety of stakeholders at the local, State, regional and national levels.
     
  6. SNAP-Ed is enhanced when the specific roles and responsibilities of local, State, regional and national SNAP agencies and nutrition education providers are defined and put into practice.

To review the USDA SNAP-Ed Guiding Principles in their entirety, visit this website: http://www.fns.usda.gov/oane/menu/FSNE/GuidingPrinciples.pdf