Posted on 01/15/2017 7:12:22 AM PST by Drew68
What do households on food stamps buy at the grocery store?
The answer was largely a mystery until now. The United States Department of Agriculture, which oversees the $74 billion food stamp program called SNAP, has published a detailed report that provides a glimpse into the shopping cart of the typical household that receives food stamps.
The findings show that the No. 1 purchases by SNAP households are soft drinks, which accounted for 5 percent of the dollars they spent on food. The category of ‘sweetened beverages,’ which includes fruit juices, energy drinks and sweetened teas, accounted for almost 10 percent of the dollars they spent on food. “In this sense, SNAP is a multibillion-dollar taxpayer subsidy of the soda industry,” said Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University. “It’s pretty shocking.”
For years, dozens of cities, states and medical groups have urged changes to SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, to help improve nutrition among the 43 million poorest Americans who receive food stamps. Specifically, they have called for restrictions so that food stamps cannot be used to buy junk food or sugary soft drinks.
But the food and beverage industries have spent millions opposing such measures, and the U.S.D.A. has denied every request, saying that selectively banning certain foods would be unfair to food stamp users and create too much red tape.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
The only shock here is that the New York Times is reporting it.
“The U.S.D.A. report found that milk, cheese, potato chips, beef, cold cereal and baked bread were among the top purchases for all households.”
I find this astonishing.
I raised a family and the only time potato chips entered the house was on a special occasion,as a treat.
What a waste of money.
.
It’s because these people have been forced (by the man) to live in food deserts where one can only buy junk food and purple drank. And weave.
ML/NJ
The amount of stamps someone receives should be divided by the food groups and no more than a certain percentage can be spent on any one of them. Any and all junk food should be eliminated from the program. Personally I feel the program of issuing EBT cards should be replaced with food pantries where only bare essentials are distributed. Don’t like your choices? Purchase your own food with your own money like everyone else.
They should only be able to buy a few commodities such as bread, milk, beans, rice, cheese, some meats, etc.
wawawawa what!! michelle O had no effect on her healthy food choices? Soda? the bodega trade off to cash and for cigarettes, lotto is big, beer, liquor, dog food. Please the NYT is worried about thier health how wonderful
Most of the people getting food stamps get them because they have made a long series of bad choices.
The Trump administration has a lot of work cut out for it.
Another 40 cents of every dollar was spent on “cereal, prepared foods, dairy products, rice and beans
Number 1 they have their groupings wrong. That will skew the results. No way would I put dairy products, rice, and beans in with prepared foods and cereal. If they set the groupings right the numbers for their unhealthy choices would probably be higher.
“...said Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University. “It’s pretty shocking.””
She obviously doesn’t do much grocery shopping at Wally World or outside her upscale neighborhood’s Whole Foods.
Pretty much all normal people have been behind that woman with a cart full of sodas, chips and steaks who whips out her EBT card to pay for it.
Some small store owners scamming the system - family members collecting EBT, then using the money to buy sodas to sell in their stores.
Families no longer have planned, healthy meals. And it isn't just the foodstampers. Growing up certain foods were reserved for special occasions. Typical times for special treats like soda, chips, etc. were family picnics, birthday parties, holidays. We had a weekly treat as well on Sunday nights. We were allowed a candy bar while watching Disney and Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. I recall one friend Friday at their house was pizza and soda night. Many of these habits have stayed with me. You still won't find things like soda or chips or candy in my house.
The only thing I have used soft drinks for in the last 20 years is as a toilet bowl cleaner.
“Food deserts” exist because every urban supermarket I see that goes up closes within a couple of years because they are literally robbed blind by their “customers.” But you have to understand. That’s OUR fault!
Yup.
Still that way today.
An *occasional* summertime meal of deli meat sammiches gets a special garnish of B&B pickles and chips.
I don't think we exceed 3 bags per year.
Potato chips are delicious.
Additionally, these items should be available only at government-run commissaries with hours between 5:00 AM and 11:00 AM so they have to get their lazy azzes out of bed and stand in line.
They left out chips.
I was behind a mother/daughter a couple of days ago and you couldn’t believe the crap they were buying with their SNAP card.
Two observations:
1. These people tend to be morbidly obese. No I’m not talking about a little padding but rolls regardless of age.
2. The are universally self-centered. At a busy time of the day they thought nothing about holding up the checkout line while the daughter secured four more rather gigantic bags of chips.
Disgusting people. Yeah, I know, there are some real cases of need out there. I’m not talking about the exception but the rule.
I would like to see who funds these PSA’s like the Food Council, etc. who bombard us with guilt driven radio ads telling us how many starving children there are. Bullshit. All of the poor kids I see afe fat and hardly starving. Wouldn’t surprise me if the food industry is behind a lot of this.
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