# Surviving On Food Stamps The $21 A Week Experiment By Cool Hunter | Published 2007-05-17 | Lifestyle Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/surviving-on-food-stamps-the-21-a-week-experiment References: [boingboing.net](http://www.boingboing.net/2007/05/16/congresscritters_try.html) & [washingtonpost](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/15/AR2007051501957.html#) Two American lawmakers are putting their money ($21) where their mouth is. They're trying to survive for one week on the US standard food stamp rations. That means they're trying to get by on [$1 per meal](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dennys-promotion). Both congressmen are blogging about their experience and it doesn't look like it's going very well. **Implications** - Apparently, the $21 worth of stamps a week really doesn't provide the proper amount of food that you should be ingesting in your system each day. Of course since this is rationed [food stamps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hunger-action-month), it's hard to get all the proper food groups into one meal. Therefore maintaining a [healthy diet](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/good-food-real-results) is pretty much near impossible in this challenge. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.0/10 - Popularity: 40% | Activity: 41% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Lifestyle](https://www.trendhunter.com/lifestyle) > [Food](https://www.trendhunter.com/food) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Rationed Food Stamp Challenge:** Exploring the difficulties of maintaining a healthy diet on a limited budget. - **Food Insecurity:** Highlighting the challenges faced by individuals relying on food stamps for sustenance. - **Public Awareness of Food Assistance Programs:** Increasing understanding and empathy towards the struggles of individuals on food stamps. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Grocery Retail:** Exploring opportunities for affordable, nutritious food options for low-income individuals. - **Foodtech:** Developing innovative solutions to address food insecurity and improve access to nutritious meals. - **Government Assistance Programs:** Identifying potential areas for improvement in food assistance programs to meet the nutritional needs of recipients. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Unusual Food Waste Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/food-waste-campaigns.md) - [Food Insecurity Match Programs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nutritional-assistance.md) - [Low-Cost Grocery Store Meals](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hot-zone-meals.md) - [Low-Cost Grocer Meal Kits](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/feed-the-family-for-a-fiver-campaign.md) - [Low-Cost Supermarket Meal Deals](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/5-meal-days.md) - [Menu Discovery Challenges](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/feel-good-foodie-challenge.md) - [Inflationary Meal Subscriptions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/plate-pass.md) - [Long-Term Food Insecurity Efforts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/jack-and-jill-of-america.md) - [Branded Nutrition-Focused Challenges](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/fresh-start-challenge.md)