Panera Bread CEO Ron Shaich is experiencing what it's like to live on just $4.50 a day as part of his participation in the SNAP challenge.
The goal is to live for a month on the average daily benefit provided by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program which provides food stamps to those in need.
Shaich told Time this is his first real experience with going hungry.
"Despite everything I have learned about hunger and the various efforts I've undertaken to try to make a dent in the problem, I have never actually experienced hunger firsthand," Shaich said. "I'm not talking about the hunger that comes after skipping a meal. I'm talking about not knowing when or where my next meal will come from on a regular basis."
During his time with the challenge so far, Shaich has bought food on a weekly amount of $31.50. At first, Shaich tried to choose healthier foods to eat, but he was ultimately forced to change his plans.
"The fact is, I was forced to choose foods that were filling - items that my Italian mother-in-law would have said will 'stick to my ribs,'" Shaich said in his second LinkedIn entry about his experience. "But it isn't lost on me that I wasn't able to afford the fruits, vegetables and meats that most would say belong in a balanced diet," he said.
Shaich's participation is part of hunger action month where people take on the challenge of living on so little, a significant change for someone who make $3 million a year. While the CEO may not be affected, the United States House of Representatives is pondering legislation that would decrease SNAP funding by roughly $40 billion throughout the next 10 years.
According to Time, people who rely on SNAP benefits do not have the opportunity to return to a luxurious lifestyle like Shaich will after a four-week period.
As of last year,18 million households were considered "food insecure" or thought not to have reliable access to healthy foods according to a survey by the United States Department of Agriculture Time reported.
