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Spanish government introduces supermarket cash cards for low-income families
The aim of the new system is to de-stigmatise food aid and tackle child poverty in Spain
Beginning in May 2024, vulnerable families in Spain will no longer receive the customary bags of food designed to take the financial pressure off ever-increasing grocery bills. Instead, they will be issued a wallet card containing funds that can be used in specific supermarkets to purchase food and other essential items.
This shift in approach, which was approved by the Council of Ministers on Tuesday January 23, aims to address child poverty in Spain, which has the highest rate within the European Union (EU), and to eliminate the stigma associated with the so-called "hunger queues".
"This change in model, in short, dignifies basic material assistance in our country. It will improve its functioning; it is specifically aimed at alleviating child poverty in Spain; it will improve the nutrition of the most vulnerable children; and it will also influence a better quality of life for their families," explained the Minister of Social Rights, Pablo Bustinduy.
In this way, it will be the recipients of the supermarket cash cards themselves who decide what they want to feed their families, although certain products like alcohol will be excluded from the scheme.
The initiative has a very specific target population: households with dependent children earning less than 40% of the average income. Forecasts indicate that over the next seven years, 70,000 families living in a situation of "extreme vulnerability" will benefit from the scheme.
Furthermore, the amount of food aid on offer depends on the size of the family: if it is made up of an adult and a child, they will receive 130 euros per month; if there are three members, 160 euros per month; households made up of four members will receive 190 euros per month; and for those with five or more, 220 euros.
The government has made it very clear that vulnerable families in receipt of the supermarket cards will still be allowed to take advantage of any other aid on offer in their communities, including food banks.
In other news: Adiós Mercadona—German supermarket chain takes over in Spain
Image: Freepik
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