ood Policy

and the

Church:

ecific Proposals

Statement

of the

Administrative Board

United States

Catholic Conference

SEPTEMBER 11. 1975



FOOD POLICY AND THE CHURCH:

SPECIFIC PROPOSALS

A Statement of the

USCC Administrative Board

September 11, 1975

In October 1974, the Fourth International

Synod of Bishops described “the right to eat”

as fundamental to human dignity. In November

1974, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops

adopted a Pastoral Plan of Action designed to

mobilize the Catholic community in the United

States in an effort to realize the right to eat for

millions threatened last year by starvation and

malnutrition.

One year later it is evident that “the right to

eat” is still denied to many in our own country

and to many more throughout the globe. Al-

though the threat of starvation has been reduced

significantly during the past year, the presence

of hunger and malnutrition continue to stalk

many lives in several regions of the globe; at

home many of the unemployed, the elderly and

the poor are forced to subsist on inadequate

diets.

In the past year, however, many helpful steps

were taken in the religious communities and in

the wider society. Perhaps the most significant

was the meeting of the World Food Conference

held In Rome last November. Throughout the

United States, programs were conducted in our

dioceses, parishes and schools, and policies and

practices adopted by Individuals, Catholic fami-

lies, priests’ senates and religious communities

to help alleviate the problem of global and do-

mestic hunger. The media used its powers of

persuasion and education to publicize the issue

of hunger. Finally, in the Congress and in parts

of the Administration initial efforts have been

made to shape a coherent, just and generous food

policy.

All these actions are significant, but public

policy has a unique Importance. Personal, vol-

VessMlfferf



untary efforts are essential, but they will prove

inadequate to the scope of the hunger question

if they are not encompassed in a broader public

policy which links them to a systematic program

of action. In this statement, continuing the effort

of policy debate, public education and pastoral

leadership we began last year, we seek to address

the national policy issues which are needed to

make a more just food policy a reality in our

country.

A. Food and Foreign Policy

The World Food Conference produced a series

of proposals for combatting hunger and malnu-

trition on a global basis. The unique position

which the United States holds as the largest food

exporting nation in the world means that our

response to these proposals has supreme impor-

tance for the hungry of the world.

Since the Food Conference, a serious and sus-

tained debate has been carried on in the Con-

gress and within the Administration about our

food policy. Some of the fruits of the debate are

now taking the form of specific legislative pro-

posals. We believe the following Ideas contained

In some of these proposals deserve serious

public consideration and support.

/. Food Aid The restructuring of U.S.

food aid policy should include: 1) clear policy

guidelines separating food aid from strategic

and political considerations; 2) a specific

policy commitment to give priority in food aid

to the U.N. -designated “most severely af-

fected nations’'; this commitment should be

specified In the language of the law; 3) the

establishment of a guaranteed minimum of

food aid to be provided each year; 4) the

establishment of a guaranteed minimum of

food aid to be provided on a donation basis

through non-governmental agencies rather

than through concessional sales.

II.
"
Grain Reserve The World Food Confer-

ence proposal for an international system of

national grain reserves needs the continued

support and leadership of our government and

should receive whatever legislative support is

needed to allow the United States to partici-

pate In the system.

III. International Fund for Agricultural De-

velopment Our government's pledge to con-



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tribute 200 million dollars to the Fund is most

welcome; this pledge should receive Congres-

sional support and implementation.

/V. Foreign Assistance The foreign assist-

ance program presently being debated in Con-

gress should include several of the elements

which have been proposed: 1) the separation

of economic from military aid; 2) the support

for multilateral aid programs; 3) the focusing

of U.S. aid programs on the needs of the small

farmer and the rural poor.

B. Domestic Food Policy

Many Americans face the reality of hunger and

malnutrition intensified by high levels of unem-

ployment, inflated food prices and persistent

poverty. Two federal programs are now under

governmental review: food stamps and child

nutrition programs.

/. Food Stamps We support a major review

of the food stamp program. Yet, we are con-

cerned that reform efforts not lead to a

diminished commitment to assist poor and

working poor families. True reform seeks to

make adequate assistance available where it Is

needed, but protects against abuses and ex-

cesses.

Unfortunately, the current debate over the

value of the food stamp program is clouded

by misunderstandings. Opponents maintain

that the program is growing at uncontrollable

rates and that affluent families and students

are taking advantage of It. Some problems

and abuses do exist; however, the evidence

does not support these sweeping indictments.

a. Growth of the Program The growth

of food stamps Is the result of three factors:

the introduction of food stamps to addi-

tional counties, the conversion of many

counties from food commodities programs to

food stamps, and the increase in unemploy-

ment. Begun as a pilot program in 1961,

food stamps or food commodities were

available in virtually every county in the

nation by 1971. Between that year and

mid-1974, the number of participants in

the two programs remained at 14.9 million.

In the last year, however, the serious rise

in unemployment brought participants to a

level of 19.5 million. Since April the num-



ber of people receiving stamps has declined,

and the USDA projects a lower level of par-

ticipants and costs by 1980. These figures

indicate that the program is not out of con-

trol, but Is responding to the severe eco-

nomic stress of the last year.

b. Income of Participants According to

USDA, 87 percent of all food stamp partici-

pants have family Incomes of less than

$6,000 after taxes and the average cash

income of a family of four on food stamps

Is $3,456 a year. Congress has already

acted to prohibit the eligibility of students

who are dependents of affluent families,

and this provision will take full effect this

month. The evidence suggests that food

stamps continue to offer nutritional assist-

ance to the poor and near-poor who are

least able to afford a nutritional diet.

c. Policy Reform The food stamp pro-

gram must be maintained and improved.

We oppose drastic cuts and attempts to

eliminate the working poor or unemployed

from its coverage.

We support measures that will tighten up

administration, improve responsiveness, and

reduce certification errors. We do not sup-

port modifications that will penalize the

working poor and result In disincentives for

participants to work.

Any changes in the family asset limita-

tions should not require the elderly or re-

cently unemployed to sell their automobile,

necessary household goods and personal

effects in order to become eligible for food

stamps.

We have opposed and will continue to

oppose increases in food stamp prices that

will have an adverse impact on the ability

of needy families to obtain adequate nu-

trition.

Although the evidence indicates there are

very few non-needy families on food stamps,

we would support a reasonable gross In-

come limit that would disqualify affluent

families from receiving food stamps under

any circumstances. We would oppose efforts

to set this limit so low that it would elimi-

nate families actually In need.





Ultimately, the future of food stamps is

linked to reform of the welfare system.

Fundamentally, our nation must provide

jobs for those who can and should work

and an adequate income for those who can-

not. Until such a policy Is implemented,

the food stamp program deserves the sup-

port of our country’s public officials and

citizens.

II. Child Nutrition We have consistently

supported efforts to Improve and extend the

Child Nutrition programs, including the School

Lunch and Breakfast, the Special Supple-

mental Feeding Program for Women, Infants

and Small Children, and the Special Milk Pro-

gram. These programs provide particularly

important health and education benefits for

children in public and non-public schools. We

support recent Congressional efforts to

strengthen these programs. We urge Con-

gress to act swiftly and the President to sign

this legislation into law.

Concluding Remarks

Enlightened government food policies and In-

dividual generosity are necessary to alleviate the

world food problem, but they alone are not suffi-

cient. Christians believe that despite the most

Inventive programs and the best of Intentions,

there remains an extra measure beyond human

power, that is, God’s active presence in the

world. Christians also believe that prayer can

solicit God’s presence. The complexities of the

food problem tax human ingenuity and Invite

Christians’ efficacious prayers. Our Lord’s belief

in the power of prayer is enlightening and consol-

ing; he instructed us to pray for our daily bread

with confidence in the knowledge that when we

ask our heavenly Father, he will give us neither

a' stone for bread nor a serpent for fish.

1975

Publications Office

UNITED STATES CATHOLIC CONFERENCE

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