Changes planned to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program could begin affecting beneficiaries in Michigan and across the country as early as Nov. 1.

The new federal budget is expanding SNAP work rules and reducing benefits. Public health officials say the cuts could force low-income Michigan families to choose lower-quality groceries due to the cost of healthy food.

Kate Bauer, associate professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, said it is one more economic hit on already stressed families.

“It’s critical resources,” Bauer explained. “Especially during times like these, where food prices are incredibly high, housing prices are high, families’ budgets are being stretched in ways they never have before.”

More than 1.4 million Michigan

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