What was the SNAP program called before 1977?

1. The name most Americans knew: “Food Stamp Program”

From the 1964 permanent law through the early 21st century the program was commonly and legally called the Food Stamp Program; Congressional and government analyses still refer to SNAP as “formerly called the Food Stamp Program,” and the Food Stamp Act of 1977 was the key statute until it was renamed in 2008 ^{[1] [5]}.

2. Legal name change in 2008: why and how it happened

The 2008 farm bill (Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008) changed the statutory name from the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 and renamed the program Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) effective October 1, 2008; the change was explicitly framed as an effort to fight stigma and modernize terminology ^{[2] [1]}.

3. Historical roots: pilots, permanence, and reform

The idea of “food stamps” dates back to Depression-era relief pilots in the 1930s, and the program was made permanent in 1964 as part of Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty when Congress passed the Food Stamp Act of 1964; a major overhaul in 1977 (the Food Stamp Reform Act) eliminated the purchase requirement and set uniform national eligibility standards, which shaped the program for decades ^{[3] [4]}.

4. Why many states and people still use “food stamps”

Even after the 2008 federal rename, many states continued to call their programs “Food Stamp Program,” and the public continued to use the phrase “food stamps” out of habit and cultural memory; as of recent reporting, dozens of states still use the old name in some form and many benefit cards and discussions still reference “food stamps” ^{[5] [6]}.

5. Policy meaning behind the name change: stigma and modernization

USDA and supporters said the SNAP label aimed to reduce stigma associated with “food stamps” and reflect a focus on nutrition assistance rather than physical coupons; advocates and historical accounts note that the program’s form had already been changing (electronic benefits, nutrition education), so the label update codified a longer evolution ^{[2] [7]}.

6. What 1977 specifically did to the program

The Food Stamp Reform Act of 1977 removed the purchase requirement (participants no longer had to buy stamps), established national eligibility standards, expanded access in minority communities, and codified the Thrifty Food Plan as the basis for benefit calculations—changes that materially reshaped who could receive benefits and how they were calculated ^{[3] [8]}.

7. How historians and policy shops describe the continuity

Historical summaries from government, academic, and advocacy organizations present a consistent thread: the program evolved from Depression-era and wartime commodity programs into the Food Stamp Program of the 1960s and then into the reformed, nationally standardized program of 1977—then in 2008 the federal name changed to SNAP while the program’s mission remained food assistance for low-income households ^{[3] [9]}.

8. Common misunderstandings and reporting limits

Some modern articles or conversations imply SNAP is a brand-new program from 2008; that is incorrect—2008 was a renaming and statutory update, not the program’s origin. Available sources do not mention any other formal federal name for the ongoing program between 1964 and 2008 beyond variations on “Food Stamp Program” and the statutory Food Stamp Act ^{[5] [2]}.

9. Quick reference for historians and reporters

Short answer: before 2008 the federal program was called the Food Stamp Program and governed under the Food Stamp Act of 1977; after the 2008 farm bill the statutory name changed and the program became SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) ^{[1] [2]}.

Limitations: This summary uses the supplied documents; I cite government, academic, and advocacy accounts above. If you want original legislative language or the exact 2008 statutory text, I can pull the specific bill citations and section numbers from Congress.gov or USDA sources next.