Thrifty food plan costs vary widely across US regions and cities

Article excerpt

A new study tracking the USDA's Thrifty Food Plan from 2012 to 2018 found that geography matters far more than inflation when it comes to what Americans actually pay for a healthy diet. The research, published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, reveals significant cost variations across regions, metropolitan areas, and seasons, suggesting that the federal benefit cap for SNAP (food stamps), which uses this plan as its benchmark, may not account for real-world disparities in food pricing. Where you live, it turns out, shapes your grocery bill more than the year-to-year rise in prices.