Nutrition Assistance for Puerto Rico is a federal assistance nutritional program provided by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) solely to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States. It provides over $1.5 billion in supplemental economic resources to just over 1 million impoverished residents to cope with their nutritional needs. The program is commonly known in Puerto Rico as Programa de Asistencia Nutricional, PAN, or Cupones in Spanish, and is based on, though not directly part of the USDA’s national Food Stamp Program.
Since its inception in 1982, the program has been providing low-income families living in Puerto Rico with cash benefits used for food purchases. Although the methods of providing such benefits have changed over the years, its basic objective of helping low-income families meet their nutritional needs has remained constant. It has, however, been controversial throughout its existence, attracting both criticism and advocacy from Puerto Rico and the United States. (more...)