Dilip Rao, Chief Executive Officer of Sharebite, responded to the New Mexico Sun regarding federal cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). He expressed concern that these cuts would disproportionately affect New Mexico and advocated for the expansion of tax-incentivized workplace meal programs to support strained public systems.
"New Mexico has America's highest percentage of residents who rely on SNAP—more than one-fifth of its residents benefit from the program," said Dilip Rao. "Traditional public support systems have fallen short of fully remedying America's hunger crisis, and are now threatened with further reductions. The private sector has a major stake in hunger: The Nutrition Policy Initiative at Tufts University estimates that food insecurity costs U.S. businesses approximately $160 billion in lost productivity."
The comment from July 2025 comes amid a national debate over SNAP funding levels. This program provides food assistance to over 42 million Americans. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, New Mexico has the highest dependency rate on SNAP in the nation, with more than 21% of its population relying on this benefit. The potential reduction in federal SNAP funding has raised concerns among advocates, nonprofits, and state lawmakers about its impact on hunger, poverty, and economic resilience.
According to the Nutrition Policy Initiative at Tufts University, food insecurity leads to $160 billion in lost productivity for U.S. businesses annually. When considering healthcare, education, and lost tax revenue impacts, it costs the U.S. economy $1.1 trillion. These costs are linked to absenteeism, reduced focus, increased medical issues, and employee turnover due to hunger.
Brazil’s Workers’ Food Program (Programa de Alimentação do Trabalhador) is highlighted as a successful model of private-public coordination in reducing hunger. As reported by the International Labour Organization, this government initiative offers tax incentives for companies providing meals to employees and serves over 20 million workers daily as of 2023. It has shown a significant increase in food consumption among poor households compared to direct cash transfers.
Rao is also noted as the co-founder and CEO of Sharebite, an employee meal benefit platform established in 2017. Before founding Sharebite, he worked in investment banking at Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse and earned an MBA from Columbia Business School.
