The original idea of food stamps was not just to get food to the poor but also to remove the "shame" of just picking up free stuff at the welfare office. They'd be given "money" that could only be accepted for food.
The people concerned for safety and security of the cards or stamps really don't care one way or the other about the shame or lack thereof of the poor.
[ Hey, I thought they went to the renewable food stamp card to eliminate the very high rate of theft of food stamps from mail delivery receptacles, and the dozen or so beatings and murders per year of postal carriers attacked for their loads of food stamps and such. ]
Food Stamps are this counties original Fiat Currency, until we were taken off the gold standard.