Income Persons in Kern County,

more food than they would have purchased with food stamps in the market. These participants had slightly higher achievement ratios for some specific nutrients, such as protein, iron, and thiamine, than did nonparticipants. Food stamp recipients also had somewhat similar gains in nutrients, while spending a lower percentage of money income on food than nonparticipants. Key words: food distribution program, food stamps, nutrition, nutritional effects offood programs. Both the Food Distribution and Food Stamp programs were intended, in part, to improve diets of low income households ( " Agricultural Act of 1949 " and the "Food Stamp Act of 1964"). Whether or not the programs result in nutritional benefits and which of the two is the more effective remain controversial questions. Under the Food Distribution Program, food is made available to participating households (California State Department of Education). Under the Food Stamp Program, stamps are sold to participating households at less than their face value (State of California). The stamps may then be used like money for the purchase of f6od..at cooperating retail estab-lishments. The difference between the amount paid for the stamps, which depends on income less deductions for some household expenses, and the face value of the stamps received by the household, which is the same for all households of equal size, is the amount of Sylvia Lane is a professor in the Department of Agricultural Eco-nomics, University of California, Davis, an agricultural economist in the expeliJnent station, and a member of the Giannini Founda-tion