a stopped clock is right twice a day
Those things are unhealthy, but restricting them is policing what poor people eat. It’s stigmatizing. Also, people will still buy these things because they’re addictive. So they’ll be paying out of pocket for it rather than using their SNAP benefits. It’s a lose-lose.
Yeah, if the goal was actually to make people eat healthier, he’d be trying to limit the availability of those items to everyone, not just poor people.
Change SNAP from money to a system that says “X gets _lbs of raw meat, _pieces of fresh vegetables, _pieces of raw fruit etc”. The inventory systems in stores know what is being rung up so I don’t see why it couldn’t work. It also means SNAP automatically adjusts for inflation and regional pricing. Probably won’t stop people selling their SNAP for cash though.
Or he’d be increasing the availability of healthy food instead of taking things away
I dont get your argument. How’s it stigmatizing? Why should someone be able to spend it all on energy drinks and starburst? Just doesn’t make sense.
I support aggressively increasing food stamps for anyone in need. But I’d also support aggressive regulation, like no candy and shit. It just makes sense to me but maybe I’m missing something.
Why should someone be able to spend it all on energy drinks and starburst?
What percentage of food stamp users “spend it all on energy drinks and starburst?” People can only eat so much junk food before they get sick and sick of it.
Personally, if I’m on food stamps, I’m not wasting in on childish garbage like candy. I’d be eating those pork egg roll things all the time along with a lot more seafood. You know, the things that I can’t afford on my own. I can afford candy and soda on my own but still choose not to get it.
People on food stamps aren’t buying these things because it’s fun, but because it’s cheap, easy calories because they’re homeless or working three jobs and don’t have the time to cook real food. The clock is not right here.
No, they are buying them because they want to. I used to buy milk and cereal. It has sugar, but it’s 3 grams per serving instead of like 15.
Don’t tell me you don’t have time to pour a bowl of milk
The milk went bad three days ago and I haven’t had time to hike to the store because my car died and I don’t have the money to get it fixed.
Having grown up in poor areas, people tend to buy things because those are the things they’re used to buying. They are generally not making rational choices about optimal calories per dollar spent or best nutritional value per hour of labor expended in cooking. My neighbors almost all drank, a large percentage did drugs, they were often quite impulsive about purchases, and few of them planned ahead very effectively. My mother got some neighbor ladies together to do monthly bulk shopping at a nearby big-city farmer’s market, saved us a ton of money, but nobody would have done it if she hadn’t talked them into it.
Real human beings are often not rational utility-maximizers. Explanations that assume that they are, are going to be deficient.
How much of the average food stamp budget goes to soda and candy?
If you can’t answer this, then it would be foolish of you to think it’s a problem.
Is it foolish of you?
According to the USDA, soda represents the most purchased item on food stamps. Candy represents the 11th most purchased item. Very few of the items on the top 20 list are very healthy. Vegetables and fruits are missing from the most altogether, even though these require no prep work before eating.
Thanks for sharing this. I decided to do a bit of my own research and came across some interesting information.
Your source: https://epicforamerica.org/social-programs/here-is-what-food-stamp-recipients-buy/
I’m not sure what ‘epicforamerica’ is, but it sounds like a propaganda outlet. They claim their source is the USDA, and the PDF they provided has a weird link to it: https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/ops/SNAPFoodsTypicallyPurchased.pdf
It says it’s from 2016, which could be true but I can’t find it with a quick search.
What I did find though was this official USDA website with a similar study from 2011: https://www.fns.usda.gov/research/snap/foods-typically-purchased-supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap-households
Here are charts from the primary sources, the official USDA 2011 then the 2016 study ‘epicforamerica’ linked to:
Sweetened beverages actually comes out at #2 in ‘total expenditures’ when meat is grouped into a single category. ‘Epicforamerica’ decided to split them up for their own reasons.
Both charts show that soda expenditures are ~9.3% of what EBT users spend their food stamps on. That’s pretty reasonable if you ask me, and I think it owes more to the fact that a 2-liter of Coke is $2.74 at Walmart than anything else. That means if one person buys a 2-liter of Coke as part of a $27 grocery bill, then that’s immediately over the average amount.
Prepared desserts is at 7%, salty snacks at 3.4%, and candy at 2%.
So all in all, we’re looking at a little under 25% of expenditures being spent on junk food. That’s also reasonable to me. Soda is so high is because it’s actually just a scam. I’d be in favor of restricting food stamp recipients to only buying generic brands of soda, but that’s about it.
Heck, I’d be in favor of forcing most brands to sell their food at a lower price to food stamp recipients. The main reason they don’t have enough is because others have too much.
Also, it looks like ‘epicforamerica’ successfully manipulated you into thinking a certain way by withholding, distorting, or just straight up lying about information.
Vegetables and fruits are missing from the most altogether
Vegetables are actually #3 in expenditures, and fruits are #8.
Let them buy what they want you damn Nazi.
It’s not what every snap user wants. It’s just that garbage products are calorie dense and need little to no preparation, and those things absolutely matter when working several jobs or being homeless and convincing someone to let you use their address because a permanent address is necessary.
More calories per dollar for things like rice beans pasta. It’s a bit more complicated than that.
Convenience is king when you are constantly burned out and sleep deprived and “just need something good enough and easy”
Fucking hell, have you ever tried to live on rice and beans? You need half a dozen spices and salt just to make it taste like not sadness, plus prep time, prep space, prep bowls and pots, and then you need to wash everything. Compared with a frozen meal that cooks in the microwave and a disposable tray for serving, there’s really no contest. A “rice and beans” lifestyle requires a stay-at-home partner who soaks beans and washes dishes.
It’s a great frugal tip to stretch your grocery dollars, but if you’re poor, it’s not a moral failing to go with a cheap frozen meal.
You’re assuming that people have the time and space to prep rice, beans and pasta. Not everyone does.
Eh, can you get a bag of equivalent volume of apples for the same as a bottle of coca cola?
Same amount of sugar, one is considerably healthier.
IDC about soda, although it’s probably less harmful than water in certain areas.
Apples. Food deserts. I’ve never seen an apple at any of the dollar stores.
I haven’t had sugar cereal in a decade. I don’t know how you could ever prefer them over oat flakes
Interesting, why not start branding and labeling better that more products that have high content of X
Oh good, we’ll have slightly less sugar-related inflammation while we all fucking die of bird flu
What goon-affiliated product will they be able to purchase with food stamps instead? Lee Greenwood Bibles? My Pillows?
