Gotham Tops List of 24 Major Cities in Food Prices; Yet City Still Lags in Food Stamp Enrollment

Out of 24 large cities in the United States, New York has, by far, the highest cost for purchasing “just enough” food to meet household needs, according to a new national study by the Washington, DC-based Food Research and Action Center (FRAC).

The cost-of-enough food index for New York is 21% higher than the average of the other 24 cities. New York’s index is 36% higher than Baltimore, 11% higher than Boston, 7% higher than Los Angeles, 22% higher than Houston, and 7% higher than Philadelphia.

The report also found that, in 2004, fully 34% of the people eligible for participation in the Federally-funded Food Stamp Program in New York City were not enrolled in the program. This left an estimated 506,393 eligible people without benefits, costing low-income New Yorkers more than $430 million in untapped federal assistance.

“Given that New York City has the highest food prices in the nation – not to mention the highest costs for housing and other basic expenses – it is even more troubling that more that one in three people eligible for food stamp benefits don’t receive them,” said Joel Berg, executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger.

The FRAC report also found that, out of the households that do receive food stamp benefits in New York City, 65% have at least one child or elderly person in the household. This finding belies the recent statement of Mayor Bloomberg in which he implied that the only people eligible for food stamps are working adults. Continued Berg, “This report further supports our long-held contention that there are hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers – most of whom are either working for low wages, disabled, seniors, or children living in impoverished households – who desperately need, but aren’t currently receiving, help from the Food Stamp Program.”

More on the FRAC report can be found at: http://www.frac.org/Press_Release/10.18.06