The food stamp program provides low income households with coupons which can be exchanged for some specified dollar value worth of food. Many economists argue that this program is an inefficient means of increasing the well being of low income families. Proponents of this view argue that an equivalent cash subsidy would bring about a greater increase in the well being of the low income families receiving aid. Although many economists hold this view, not all policy analysts agree with the advocates of cash payments instead of food stamps. Advocates of the existing program argue that food stamps provide an incentive for low income families to increase the nutritional quality of their diets