Texas bill to ban food stamps for junk food (abuse, program, federal)
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Years ago, I worked for a time helping those on Food Stamps manage their money. I was amazed at how many simply did not know how to make a pot of soup. .
When I worked with the poor I was amazed at how many did not have kitchen facilities and had to depend on a microwave for meal prep.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GotHereQuickAsICould
Even more stunning was the percentage of their grocery money they spend on pop, chips, hot dogs, ... Sometimes they would spend every penny of their EBT card and there would not be a single nutritious item in their cart. Not so much as a carrot.
That is certainly not typical.
Although diets of SNAP recipients are poorer than diets of non-SNAP recipients, differences are relatively small and may be attributable to unmeasured confounders. For example, point-of-sale data suggest that there are few major differences in expenditure patterns of SNAP and non-SNAP households, with about 40 cents of every food dollar spent on basic items (meat, fruits, vegetables, milk, eggs, and bread) and 20 cents spent on junk food and sugar-sweetened beverages [6]. Sugar-sweetened beverages rank first in expenditures for SNAP households but second (just after milk) for non-SNAP households. Although added-sugar acquisitions are higher among SNAP participants than similar nonparticipants (31 tsp-eq versus 23 tsp-eq daily), overall diet quality as measured by the Healthy Eating Index is similar [7]. Studies correlating SNAP enrollment to obesity have been heavily publicized, but associations between SNAP and obesity disappear when adequately adjusting for unmeasured confounders [8]. In fact, many Americans—not just SNAP recipients—do not make healthy food choices in the current food system [9]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6168179/
If you get welfare/food stamps/Section 8/Medicaid etc the government in return should have complete power over you and dictate every aspect of your life. If you don't like it get off the dole.
Thus far, Congress disagrees, no matter Party that holds the majority or sits the oval.
Congress, not the states, determine what is and is not eligible for purchase with SNAP benefits.
Big Corn and Big Grocer lobby to make sure their products continue to be eligible for SNAP.
Pepsico is the largest food/ beverage business in the US and employs about 270,000 people, world- wide. Making many of their products ineligible for purchase with SNAP benefits would certainly put a serious dent in the manufacture, operation and distribution of their products and number of middle class jobs throughout the US. Some of the Pepsico brands that could be impacted, if and when Congress acts include: Pepsi, Mug, Mountain Dew, Gatoraid, Doritos,Cheetos, Ruffles, Tostidos, Fritos, Capt Chrunch, Cracker Jack, Aunt Jemima, Sun Chips, Lays and Rice Roni .
Two years ago, Cook County ( mostly Chicago) narrowly enacted a new 1 cent per ounce tax on sweetened beverages. It did so under the banner of health. The tax specifically exempted purchases made with SNAP benefits because the county lacked the authority to do so.
The tax was repealed a few months after it was enacted.
Last edited by middle-aged mom; 05-09-2019 at 07:41 AM..
If you get welfare/food stamps/Section 8/Medicaid etc the government in return should have complete power over you and dictate every aspect of your life. If you don't like it get off the dole.
Are you going to extend that to people who get ACA subsidies, Social Security, SSDI, VA pensions and EITC? And what will you accomplish other than satisfying your desire to punish people who receive tax payer benefits?
I will never understand why people are concerned with what those on food stamps eat.
There is no definitive correlation between receiving food stamps and obesity.
That said it would probably be best if FS did not pay for soda and junk food. We ALL need to greatly limit sugar and highly processed food.
When I worked with the poor I was amazed at how many did not have kitchen facilities and had to depend on a microwave for meal prep.
That is certainly not typical.
Although diets of SNAP recipients are poorer than diets of non-SNAP recipients, differences are relatively small and may be attributable to unmeasured confounders. For example, point-of-sale data suggest that there are few major differences in expenditure patterns of SNAP and non-SNAP households, with about 40 cents of every food dollar spent on basic items (meat, fruits, vegetables, milk, eggs, and bread) and 20 cents spent on junk food and sugar-sweetened beverages [6]. Sugar-sweetened beverages rank first in expenditures for SNAP households but second (just after milk) for non-SNAP households. Although added-sugar acquisitions are higher among SNAP participants than similar nonparticipants (31 tsp-eq versus 23 tsp-eq daily), overall diet quality as measured by the Healthy Eating Index is similar [7]. Studies correlating SNAP enrollment to obesity have been heavily publicized, but associations between SNAP and obesity disappear when adequately adjusting for unmeasured confounders [8]. In fact, many Americans—not just SNAP recipients—do not make healthy food choices in the current food system [9]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6168179/
Vegetables, fish, grains, etc. can be cooked in a microwave. Salads, fruits, ... don't need even that. Crock pots and single burners are available for under $25.
The idea that SNAP household diets are only somewhat less nutritious than non-SNAP households is far from a convincing argument.
The whole idea of Food Stamps is to provide decent food for those who can't afford it. That only 40% is spent on meat, vegetables, fruit, eggs, milk, and bread is a sad commentary on the program.
I don't want to go back to handing out hunks of cheese and boxes of powdered milk.
But good grief, 40%?
In my experience, 40% was on the high end, and you would have to include pizzas, canned soup, and frozen entrees to get to there.
Let’s hope this bill passes, it’s the only real way to curb obesity among America’s underclass
It didn't work when Maine tried to do it so I'm not sure why Texas thinks they will get a different response.
Quote:
In a Jan. 16 letter to Maine Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Ricker Hamilton, the USDA outlined concerns that a ban would increase administrative costs; impose burdens on small businesses and retailers; choose winners and losers in the food industry; create difficult decisions about the nutritional values of allowable or excluded foods; and “restrict what individuals could eat in their own homes without demonstrating clear evidence of meaningful health outcomes.” https://www.pressherald.com/2018/01/...-drinks-candy/
In an early discussion of this, someone was advocating for SNAP covering birthday cakes, that a parent ought to be able to provide a birthday cake for their kid without people getting in a snit about it.
Kids indeed deserve birthday cakes, but how would this fit under the the heading of "nutritious food" was a mystery then as it is a mystery now why we should all be paying for pop, candy, cookies, etc.
In an early discussion of this, someone was advocating for SNAP covering birthday cakes, that a parent ought to be able to provide a birthday cake for their kid without people getting in a snit about it.
Kids indeed deserve birthday cakes, but how would this fit under the the heading of "nutritious food" was a mystery then as it is a mystery now why we should all be paying for pop, candy, cookies, etc.
Its a right covered under the general welfare clause. Like everything else you want to do.
It's sitting and wont get past where it is now. While this is a very logical conclusion, their biggest hurdle is getting buy in from the retailer association. Many smaller retailer POS systems are not capable of differentiating items at that level.
The retailer association feeds the legislature tons of money via lobbyists too.
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