study shows how 42M recipients spend their food stamps

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And it’s not pretty. Or healthy.

EPIC Report: Food Stamps: A Culture of Dependency
Matthew Dickerson
May 8, 2024
The story of the food stamp program is one of expanding enrollment, higher spending, benefit payments growing faster than inflation, little work by recipients, and ultimately, a greater dependence on taxpayers.

Food stamp enrollment has increased significantly, surging from 17.3 million individuals in 2001 to 42.1 million in 2023.

https://epicforamerica.org/blog/epic-report-food-stamps-a-culture-of-dependency/


— Coca-Cola, Sprite and other soft drinks are the most commonly-bought items via the $135 billion-a-year Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a new study says.

— Candy, potato chips, frozen pizza, ice cream, cookies, and other ultra-processed food dominates the top 20 items, says a report from the Economic Policy Innovation Center (EPIC).

— Recipients spend much of their benefits on junk food, such as soft drinks, chips and other bag snacks, breakfast cereals, frozen handheld snacks, candy, frozen pizza, ice cream coffee creamer, and cookies.



SNAP costs have exploded from $31 billion to $135 billion, his report says, using inflation-adjusted numbers.

Should the government adjust the benefits so that some foods or drinks are not covered? I would think at least making soda unable to be purchased on SNAP would be a good thing.

It's not a "new study." Those statistics on what people buy with food stamps are from 2016. https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/ops/SNAPFoodsTypicallyPurchased.pdf

And that report shows that

There were no major differences in the expenditure patterns of SNAP and non-SNAP
households, no matter how the data were categorized. Similar to most American
households:
 About 40 cents of every dollar of food expenditures by SNAP households was
spent on basic items such as meat, fruits, vegetables, milk, eggs, and bread.
 Another 20 cents out of every dollar was spent on sweetened beverages,
desserts, salty snacks, candy and sugar.
 The remaining 40 cents were spent on a variety of items such as cereal, prepared
foods, dairy products, rice, and beans.
 The top 10 summary categories and the top 7 commodities by expenditure were the
same for SNAP and non-SNAP households, although ranked in slightly different orders.

ALL Americans eat crap. Feel better now?

But only the poor ones need to be punished, controlled and demeaned.

Taking soda pop off of Snap is not controlling or demeaning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And it’s not pretty. Or healthy.

EPIC Report: Food Stamps: A Culture of Dependency
Matthew Dickerson
May 8, 2024
The story of the food stamp program is one of expanding enrollment, higher spending, benefit payments growing faster than inflation, little work by recipients, and ultimately, a greater dependence on taxpayers.

Food stamp enrollment has increased significantly, surging from 17.3 million individuals in 2001 to 42.1 million in 2023.

https://epicforamerica.org/blog/epic-report-food-stamps-a-culture-of-dependency/


— Coca-Cola, Sprite and other soft drinks are the most commonly-bought items via the $135 billion-a-year Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a new study says.

— Candy, potato chips, frozen pizza, ice cream, cookies, and other ultra-processed food dominates the top 20 items, says a report from the Economic Policy Innovation Center (EPIC).

— Recipients spend much of their benefits on junk food, such as soft drinks, chips and other bag snacks, breakfast cereals, frozen handheld snacks, candy, frozen pizza, ice cream coffee creamer, and cookies.



SNAP costs have exploded from $31 billion to $135 billion, his report says, using inflation-adjusted numbers.

Should the government adjust the benefits so that some foods or drinks are not covered? I would think at least making soda unable to be purchased on SNAP would be a good thing.

I think this describes the average American’s grocery list for a family that doesn’t use SNAP. Yes they also buy other stuff but no one should pretend that local grocery store baskets aren’t filled with this stuff.

And as a reminder canned vegetables and fruit are not expensive and are widely available. Frozen vegetables are even better than canned. Fresh is best and there are more economical fresh vegetable choices. Bag of raw carrots. Head of broccoli.

Then there is the nonsense about how being on food stamps forces people to be obese. No obese people want to eat junk food. And it’s expensive to maintain obesity. It’s more like a large size bags of chips daily. Add up how much that would cost. Or cookies. It’s not one box or bag of cookies per grocery shopping trip. It’s a box or bag daily. Obesity requires at least 3K calories to maintain and more than that to gain.

[Anonymous]

Who in government is in charge of this? Food stamps should only pay for healthy food, none of this junk.

[Anonymous]

Is the information parsed by state?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t trust the motivations of the study authors, but I’m not at all surprised the findings. When’s the last time you saw fresh healthy affordable food in a convenience store or a Dollar General? That’s where a lot of SNAP recipients are buying their food because it’s the only thing in town. It’s called food deserts and poor people are much more likely to live in them. Look it up.

People who work multiple jobs don’t have an extra 2 hours every few days to take three busses to the grocery stores in the nicer suburbs to stock up on healthy ingredients. I get salty when I have to drive more than 10 minutes in my comfy car to fill the trunk.

As for SNAP recipients working less, that’s the point. But I suppose the right wingers prefer the poor work 80 hours a week to not starve. That’s what it’s all about to that crowd- maximizing how much you can extract from people with nothing.

Produce at the dollar store: Fruits and veggies now at 5,000 Dollar General locations, company says

30 Jan 2024
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/01/30/dollar-general-stores-produce/72397538007/

Dollar General is now offering fresh produce options in more than 5,000 stores across the country, the company revealed to USA TODAY exclusively. According to a news release from the company, this move would mean the retailer "has more individual points of produce distribution than any other U.S. mass retailer or grocer."


Produce has marked an area of expansion for Dollar General. In 2022, then-CEO Jeff Owen said on a company earnings call that fresh produce was sold in about 3,000 of its 18,800 stores, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Dollar General's produce offerings include tomatoes, onions, apples, strawberries, potatoes, lemons, salad mixes and more. The company told USA TODAY its stores now carry the top 20 items that would typically be sold in grocery stores.

The company announced it's "Food First" initiative in July 2023, which included the expansion of its private label brand, Clover Valley. The expansion saw over 100 new items introduced to Dollar General shelves, including entrees, sauces, condiments and more.

Why are you so invested in making people sick?

Check the date on that press release and get back to me. Takes some time to turn the ship that is lifelong eating habits.

Dollar General is the only game in many towns, which they know is and is absolutely reflected in their per unit pricing. But I am glad to see they are at least paying lip service to perishable goods, at least for now.

Still doesn’t change the fact that it costs $1.50 for an apple that provides 100 calories and $1.50 for a bag of discount Funyuns that provides 450 calories, but healthy options are good. I’d like to see more states double allotments for fresh produce, because the math still doesn’t math for someone trying to maximize their calories per dollar.

agree. And an apple isn't quite as filling as a bag of chips. That's what low income people are thinking about, not "an apple a day keeps the doctor away".

You all may recall how Michelle Obama tried to make school meals healthier. The problem is that's not possible the way we do school lunches here. My kids tell me that the school apples are tasteless. No one eats them. You need to have a kitchen staff to cook from scratch, but that's not how we do school lunches here.

Apparently the trolls who attacked Michelle for her healthy meals were liberals, because the liberals here definitely like to addict poor families to crap for votes.

I suppose liberals will deny attacks on Michelle but it’s evident they were behind it.

You all never tire of your stuff.

The Right went bonkers that public elementary and HS students were forced to eat healthy meals and didn’t have a “choice” on what they were consuming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pasta, rice and beans are super cheap. You can get a box of whole wheat pasta for less than. $1.50 and it will last for multiple meals.

If you worked 2 jobs, and had to take the bus for both jobs, just how much time do you think you'd have to cook dinner from scratch?

My mother worked a low level job and cooked from scratched. She was up at 5am, worked, came home and finished prepping meals, then cleaned up. She finally finished at 9pm and then just went to bed. Rinse and repeat. She at least had a ride to work. She never helped us with hw or anything else. Too tired (and I don't blame her).

I'd like to see you be a low income person, work a low income job, take public transit to work, and cook from scratch.

I am now fortunate to wfh and earn a good income. So, we can cook from scratch and do most nights.

Are you serious? So throwing pasta in a pot of boiling water for 6-7 mins is cooking from scratch? Dumping a can of beans in a pot for five mins is too much work? Okay.

Are you serious? They may throw some mac and cheese in the microwave or whatever, but cooking pasta from "scratch" is more than just throwing in pasta in boiling water. And beans? Sure, they eat beans. But, are you suggesting that they eat beans as snacks ?

We're having pasta tonight. Saute some fresh vegetables with garlic and olive oil, topped with grilled salmon. I don't expect low income people to be able to whip that together as easily when they're working two jobs and taking public transport.

Should they eat plain pasta and rice and beans all the time, including for snacks? You want them to eat fresh fruits for snacks as if they have the time to buy fresh fruits that are perishable.

I'm not saying what they are doing is fine, but seriously , some of you have zero clue about what it's like to be poor, uneducated and live in an urban area.

I posted and said that a box of whole wheat pasta can be had for less than $1.50 per box. The other poster claimed that making a box of pasta was cooking from scratch. My kids eat pasta with butter all the time. It takes about six minutes.

TBH, that sounds unhealthy - fats and carbs. What are your kids’ BMIs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a pretty significant stat from OP:

“Food stamp enrollment has increased significantly, surging from 17.3 million individuals in 2001 to 42.1 million in 2023.”


Maybe we should look at the reason for the surge and how to get people off food stamps.

It's not that deep. There's a widening income gap. Look at Walmart refusing to hire people full time, so they can use the US benefits, and then divert that money to CEO pay.

Welcome to the Democrat elites!

You think the Walton family are Democrats? Huh.

They are. Imagine that!
You know Hillary actually used to work for them on their legal issues.

Are you really this dim? They hired a law firm where she worked. This was the ‘80s. There weren’t MAGA witch hunts and purges of anyone not pledging fealty to the party leaders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pasta, rice and beans are super cheap. You can get a box of whole wheat pasta for less than. $1.50 and it will last for multiple meals.

If you worked 2 jobs, and had to take the bus for both jobs, just how much time do you think you'd have to cook dinner from scratch?

My mother worked a low level job and cooked from scratched. She was up at 5am, worked, came home and finished prepping meals, then cleaned up. She finally finished at 9pm and then just went to bed. Rinse and repeat. She at least had a ride to work. She never helped us with hw or anything else. Too tired (and I don't blame her).

I'd like to see you be a low income person, work a low income job, take public transit to work, and cook from scratch.

I am now fortunate to wfh and earn a good income. So, we can cook from scratch and do most nights.

Are you serious? So throwing pasta in a pot of boiling water for 6-7 mins is cooking from scratch? Dumping a can of beans in a pot for five mins is too much work? Okay.

Are you serious? They may throw some mac and cheese in the microwave or whatever, but cooking pasta from "scratch" is more than just throwing in pasta in boiling water. And beans? Sure, they eat beans. But, are you suggesting that they eat beans as snacks ?

We're having pasta tonight. Saute some fresh vegetables with garlic and olive oil, topped with grilled salmon. I don't expect low income people to be able to whip that together as easily when they're working two jobs and taking public transport.

Should they eat plain pasta and rice and beans all the time, including for snacks? You want them to eat fresh fruits for snacks as if they have the time to buy fresh fruits that are perishable.

I'm not saying what they are doing is fine, but seriously , some of you have zero clue about what it's like to be poor, uneducated and live in an urban area.

We could just put this here on repeat. One thing conservatives are consistent about is not understanding a problem until it is a problem for them personally.

So did Michelle Obama not know what it’s like to be poor, uneducated, and live in an urban area?

Oh, the racist dog whistle. She grew up in a working class family, attended a prestigious public school in Chicago, then off to Princeton and Harvard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why can’t the snap benefits be limited to vegetables, pasta or meat?

Very sadly healthy food choices are more expensive than junk food.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pasta, rice and beans are super cheap. You can get a box of whole wheat pasta for less than. $1.50 and it will last for multiple meals.

If you worked 2 jobs, and had to take the bus for both jobs, just how much time do you think you'd have to cook dinner from scratch?

My mother worked a low level job and cooked from scratched. She was up at 5am, worked, came home and finished prepping meals, then cleaned up. She finally finished at 9pm and then just went to bed. Rinse and repeat. She at least had a ride to work. She never helped us with hw or anything else. Too tired (and I don't blame her).

I'd like to see you be a low income person, work a low income job, take public transit to work, and cook from scratch.

I am now fortunate to wfh and earn a good income. So, we can cook from scratch and do most nights.

Are you serious? So throwing pasta in a pot of boiling water for 6-7 mins is cooking from scratch? Dumping a can of beans in a pot for five mins is too much work? Okay.

Are you serious? They may throw some mac and cheese in the microwave or whatever, but cooking pasta from "scratch" is more than just throwing in pasta in boiling water. And beans? Sure, they eat beans. But, are you suggesting that they eat beans as snacks ?

We're having pasta tonight. Saute some fresh vegetables with garlic and olive oil, topped with grilled salmon. I don't expect low income people to be able to whip that together as easily when they're working two jobs and taking public transport.

Should they eat plain pasta and rice and beans all the time, including for snacks? You want them to eat fresh fruits for snacks as if they have the time to buy fresh fruits that are perishable.

I'm not saying what they are doing is fine, but seriously , some of you have zero clue about what it's like to be poor, uneducated and live in an urban area.

We could just put this here on repeat. One thing conservatives are consistent about is not understanding a problem until it is a problem for them personally.

So did Michelle Obama not know what it’s like to be poor, uneducated, and live in an urban area?

Michelle Obama would know more about that than an UMC R white dude.

MO knew that this was an issue. It's also why she started the vegetable garden at the WH. She was trying to promote healthy eating.

Yet, when she tried to at least tackle unhealthy school lunches I recall Rs claiming it won't work because kids don't like that kind of crap food.

Yet, now we have Rs claiming that these same kids should not be eating unhealthy with money from tax dollars.

Childhood obesity is a problem. But, it's not just an easy "drink less soda" problem. Children in low income urban areas also cannot go out to play like, ride a bike, be in little league, etc.. like other children can.

Then there is education: uneducated parents like this don't realize just how unhealthy it is to drink so much soda. There are people who live in suburbia who drink a shlt ton of soda. Some people just don't like the fact that the poors are using tax money to buy soda rather than water.

They were right about that part. Sugar, fat, and salt covers up low quality ingredients and lack of cooking skill. UDSA pays less than $3 a meal. The quality is going to be crap and with nothing to hide it, kids noticed

Right, yet some people expect poor people to be able to cook delicious healthy meals at home? please. Even a lot of middle class people can't cook healthy, delicious meals at home.

Clearly not the braggy butter and pasta lady.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pasta, rice and beans are super cheap. You can get a box of whole wheat pasta for less than. $1.50 and it will last for multiple meals.

If you worked 2 jobs, and had to take the bus for both jobs, just how much time do you think you'd have to cook dinner from scratch?

My mother worked a low level job and cooked from scratched. She was up at 5am, worked, came home and finished prepping meals, then cleaned up. She finally finished at 9pm and then just went to bed. Rinse and repeat. She at least had a ride to work. She never helped us with hw or anything else. Too tired (and I don't blame her).

I'd like to see you be a low income person, work a low income job, take public transit to work, and cook from scratch.

I am now fortunate to wfh and earn a good income. So, we can cook from scratch and do most nights.

Are you serious? So throwing pasta in a pot of boiling water for 6-7 mins is cooking from scratch? Dumping a can of beans in a pot for five mins is too much work? Okay.

Are you serious? They may throw some mac and cheese in the microwave or whatever, but cooking pasta from "scratch" is more than just throwing in pasta in boiling water. And beans? Sure, they eat beans. But, are you suggesting that they eat beans as snacks ?

We're having pasta tonight. Saute some fresh vegetables with garlic and olive oil, topped with grilled salmon. I don't expect low income people to be able to whip that together as easily when they're working two jobs and taking public transport.

Should they eat plain pasta and rice and beans all the time, including for snacks? You want them to eat fresh fruits for snacks as if they have the time to buy fresh fruits that are perishable.

I'm not saying what they are doing is fine, but seriously , some of you have zero clue about what it's like to be poor, uneducated and live in an urban area.

We could just put this here on repeat. One thing conservatives are consistent about is not understanding a problem until it is a problem for them personally.

So did Michelle Obama not know what it’s like to be poor, uneducated, and live in an urban area?

Michelle Obama would know more about that than an UMC R white dude.

MO knew that this was an issue. It's also why she started the vegetable garden at the WH. She was trying to promote healthy eating.

Yet, when she tried to at least tackle unhealthy school lunches I recall Rs claiming it won't work because kids don't like that kind of crap food.

Yet, now we have Rs claiming that these same kids should not be eating unhealthy with money from tax dollars.

Childhood obesity is a problem. But, it's not just an easy "drink less soda" problem. Children in low income urban areas also cannot go out to play like, ride a bike, be in little league, etc.. like other children can.

Then there is education: uneducated parents like this don't realize just how unhealthy it is to drink so much soda. There are people who live in suburbia who drink a shlt ton of soda. Some people just don't like the fact that the poors are using tax money to buy soda rather than water.

They were right about that part. Sugar, fat, and salt covers up low quality ingredients and lack of cooking skill. UDSA pays less than $3 a meal. The quality is going to be crap and with nothing to hide it, kids noticed

Right, yet some people expect poor people to be able to cook delicious healthy meals at home? please. Even a lot of middle class people can't cook healthy, delicious meals at home.

I don’t expect people to cook a delicious, healthy meal at home. I don’t expect people to down a bag of Doritos and wash it all down with a 2 liter bottle of pop either. There is a reasonable, middle ground in there somewhere. There must be some common sense regulations and better education about food choices.

So suggest five meals that can be achieved under the current SNAP regs. Show us how it’s done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pasta, rice and beans are super cheap. You can get a box of whole wheat pasta for less than. $1.50 and it will last for multiple meals.

If you worked 2 jobs, and had to take the bus for both jobs, just how much time do you think you'd have to cook dinner from scratch?

My mother worked a low level job and cooked from scratched. She was up at 5am, worked, came home and finished prepping meals, then cleaned up. She finally finished at 9pm and then just went to bed. Rinse and repeat. She at least had a ride to work. She never helped us with hw or anything else. Too tired (and I don't blame her).

I'd like to see you be a low income person, work a low income job, take public transit to work, and cook from scratch.

I am now fortunate to wfh and earn a good income. So, we can cook from scratch and do most nights.

Are you serious? So throwing pasta in a pot of boiling water for 6-7 mins is cooking from scratch? Dumping a can of beans in a pot for five mins is too much work? Okay.

Are you serious? They may throw some mac and cheese in the microwave or whatever, but cooking pasta from "scratch" is more than just throwing in pasta in boiling water. And beans? Sure, they eat beans. But, are you suggesting that they eat beans as snacks ?

We're having pasta tonight. Saute some fresh vegetables with garlic and olive oil, topped with grilled salmon. I don't expect low income people to be able to whip that together as easily when they're working two jobs and taking public transport.

Should they eat plain pasta and rice and beans all the time, including for snacks? You want them to eat fresh fruits for snacks as if they have the time to buy fresh fruits that are perishable.

I'm not saying what they are doing is fine, but seriously , some of you have zero clue about what it's like to be poor, uneducated and live in an urban area.

I posted and said that a box of whole wheat pasta can be had for less than $1.50 per box. The other poster claimed that making a box of pasta was cooking from scratch. My kids eat pasta with butter all the time. It takes about six minutes.

TBH, that sounds unhealthy - fats and carbs. What are your kids’ BMIs?

5’4 and 105 pounds. She’s a distance runner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pasta, rice and beans are super cheap. You can get a box of whole wheat pasta for less than. $1.50 and it will last for multiple meals.

If you worked 2 jobs, and had to take the bus for both jobs, just how much time do you think you'd have to cook dinner from scratch?

My mother worked a low level job and cooked from scratched. She was up at 5am, worked, came home and finished prepping meals, then cleaned up. She finally finished at 9pm and then just went to bed. Rinse and repeat. She at least had a ride to work. She never helped us with hw or anything else. Too tired (and I don't blame her).

I'd like to see you be a low income person, work a low income job, take public transit to work, and cook from scratch.

I am now fortunate to wfh and earn a good income. So, we can cook from scratch and do most nights.

Are you serious? So throwing pasta in a pot of boiling water for 6-7 mins is cooking from scratch? Dumping a can of beans in a pot for five mins is too much work? Okay.

Are you serious? They may throw some mac and cheese in the microwave or whatever, but cooking pasta from "scratch" is more than just throwing in pasta in boiling water. And beans? Sure, they eat beans. But, are you suggesting that they eat beans as snacks ?

We're having pasta tonight. Saute some fresh vegetables with garlic and olive oil, topped with grilled salmon. I don't expect low income people to be able to whip that together as easily when they're working two jobs and taking public transport.

Should they eat plain pasta and rice and beans all the time, including for snacks? You want them to eat fresh fruits for snacks as if they have the time to buy fresh fruits that are perishable.

I'm not saying what they are doing is fine, but seriously , some of you have zero clue about what it's like to be poor, uneducated and live in an urban area.

We could just put this here on repeat. One thing conservatives are consistent about is not understanding a problem until it is a problem for them personally.

So did Michelle Obama not know what it’s like to be poor, uneducated, and live in an urban area?

Michelle Obama would know more about that than an UMC R white dude.

MO knew that this was an issue. It's also why she started the vegetable garden at the WH. She was trying to promote healthy eating.

Yet, when she tried to at least tackle unhealthy school lunches I recall Rs claiming it won't work because kids don't like that kind of crap food.

Yet, now we have Rs claiming that these same kids should not be eating unhealthy with money from tax dollars.

Childhood obesity is a problem. But, it's not just an easy "drink less soda" problem. Children in low income urban areas also cannot go out to play like, ride a bike, be in little league, etc.. like other children can.

Then there is education: uneducated parents like this don't realize just how unhealthy it is to drink so much soda. There are people who live in suburbia who drink a shlt ton of soda. Some people just don't like the fact that the poors are using tax money to buy soda rather than water.

They were right about that part. Sugar, fat, and salt covers up low quality ingredients and lack of cooking skill. UDSA pays less than $3 a meal. The quality is going to be crap and with nothing to hide it, kids noticed

Right, yet some people expect poor people to be able to cook delicious healthy meals at home? please. Even a lot of middle class people can't cook healthy, delicious meals at home.

I don’t expect people to cook a delicious, healthy meal at home. I don’t expect people to down a bag of Doritos and wash it all down with a 2 liter bottle of pop either. There is a reasonable, middle ground in there somewhere. There must be some common sense regulations and better education about food choices.

Why do you feel the need to control the poor?

People here are hateful and live in a bubble. It is disgusting.

Food banks are mostly boxed or canned foods because that is what keeps. Many poor people rely on processed foods because it's cheaper, plain and simple. You can get a package of yellow rice and that has a ton more flavor because the seasonings come with it.

People here can cook tasty food because they have a pantry of seasonings and oils the poor don't have. They also have access to a full working kitchen which the poor often lack.

When I delivered food to the poor from food banks I would stop by a store to grab milk because there was none included from the food banks.

The client I help with his shopping gets $35 a week. Because of the resource level he eats the same meals for breakfast each day. Yogurt, toast and milk. Lunches are a soda, sandwich, chips, a piece of fruit. Dinners are frozen meals, including a pizza some nights.

Which of these things would you take from him??? He can't drive, use a bus alone or go anywhere without help.

What else should he give up in his life to MAKE YOU SATISFIED he's not living it up on your dime??

You people are despicable.

I live in Hong Kong and these discussions are absolutely mystifying.

Poor people need yellow rice from a box? Poor people can’t cook rice because it is too hard?

Poor people cannot open a can or use hot plate?

Poor people need frozen dinner in box?

How did you come to believe these things?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why can’t the snap benefits be limited to vegetables, pasta or meat?

What would be super helpful is for the working parent with SNAP to be able to go into the grocery store and buy a hot, roast chicken out of the case - but that's not allowed. So healthy-ish prepared foods are a no-go, but the soda is a go (because the sugar industry, who DONATES TONS OF MONEY TO POLITICIANS, wants it).

That’s why stores have whole roasted chicken in their deli cases that can be bought with SNAP benefits and heated up at home.

So SNAP recipients are unable to heat up some chicken? That’s your point?

And instead of buying a chicken and heating it up for their kids, they buy a 12 pack of sugar soda and drink Coke for dinner? That’s your theory.

*in their cold deli cases, they roast chicken and then cool it and put it in beside the deli salads and deli sandwiches and offer people a cold roast chicken that can be bought on SNAP benefits.

Why? Why can’t they just buy the hot roast chicken?

Why don’t you ask the government officials who make the rules of the program? You think I have something to do with it? It’s gov rules.

Nah, it’s the rules of an industry filtered through the campaign pockets of mainly GOP members.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And it’s not pretty. Or healthy.

EPIC Report: Food Stamps: A Culture of Dependency
Matthew Dickerson
May 8, 2024
The story of the food stamp program is one of expanding enrollment, higher spending, benefit payments growing faster than inflation, little work by recipients, and ultimately, a greater dependence on taxpayers.

Food stamp enrollment has increased significantly, surging from 17.3 million individuals in 2001 to 42.1 million in 2023.

https://epicforamerica.org/blog/epic-report-food-stamps-a-culture-of-dependency/


— Coca-Cola, Sprite and other soft drinks are the most commonly-bought items via the $135 billion-a-year Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a new study says.

— Candy, potato chips, frozen pizza, ice cream, cookies, and other ultra-processed food dominates the top 20 items, says a report from the Economic Policy Innovation Center (EPIC).

— Recipients spend much of their benefits on junk food, such as soft drinks, chips and other bag snacks, breakfast cereals, frozen handheld snacks, candy, frozen pizza, ice cream coffee creamer, and cookies.



SNAP costs have exploded from $31 billion to $135 billion, his report says, using inflation-adjusted numbers.

Should the government adjust the benefits so that some foods or drinks are not covered? I would think at least making soda unable to be purchased on SNAP would be a good thing.

It's not a "new study." Those statistics on what people buy with food stamps are from 2016. https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/ops/SNAPFoodsTypicallyPurchased.pdf

And that report shows that

There were no major differences in the expenditure patterns of SNAP and non-SNAP
households, no matter how the data were categorized. Similar to most American
households:
 About 40 cents of every dollar of food expenditures by SNAP households was
spent on basic items such as meat, fruits, vegetables, milk, eggs, and bread.
 Another 20 cents out of every dollar was spent on sweetened beverages,
desserts, salty snacks, candy and sugar.
 The remaining 40 cents were spent on a variety of items such as cereal, prepared
foods, dairy products, rice, and beans.
 The top 10 summary categories and the top 7 commodities by expenditure were the
same for SNAP and non-SNAP households, although ranked in slightly different orders.

ALL Americans eat crap. Feel better now?

But only the poor ones need to be punished, controlled and demeaned.

Taking soda pop off of Snap is not controlling or demeaning.

+1.