Do Households Use Food Budget Stretching to Alleviate Food Insecurity?

Abstract

This study assesses whether households buy foods of low nutritional value and use coupons and store savings as effective budget-stretching measures to alleviate food insecurity. Interview and food-acquisition data for a sample of 4,235 households from the National Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey and mediation regression models were used. The study found little evidence of compromised nutritional quality as a budget-stretching practice. Stretching budget through coupons and store savings negatively predicted food insecurity, but it was not associated with income, suggesting that the poorest households might not consider coupons and store savings a viable option to maintain food access.