Food stamp use rises in U.S.

The number of people using food stamps in the United States has topped 40 million as unemployment continues to dog America’s recovery from the recession.

The average monthly benefit for individuals under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program stood at $133.87 in March, and $298.96 for families, data released this week shows.

While the U.S. economy has been climbing back, the jobless rate continues to hover at just shy of 10 per cent.

Until the fall of 2008, the group was known as the Food Stamp Program.