Food stamps $$$ buying lots of soda

[Monello]

$8.5 billion spent on soda. Doesn't seem like a very nutritious selection given all the other possible choices.

Americans on food stamps spend the largest portion of their grocery budget buying sugary soft drinks, according to a new report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.The study, which was completed using data from an unnamed grocery chain, included 26 million U.S. families, including 3 million enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, more commonly called food stamps or SNAP. It found the average person on food stamps spends 9.3 percent of their total grocery budget on soda and other sugary drinks, the highest percentage for any broad product group other than meat/poultry/seafood.

The federal government spends about $74 billion per year on SNAP and places very few restrictions on how recipients use the benefit. Beneficiaries are only prohibited from buying alcohol, nonfood items like cleaning supplies or medicine, and prepared food.

[FONT=&amp]"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."[/FONT][FONT=&amp]
[/FONT]

study

 

[Clem72]

So what I'm hearing is that Soda is too damn expensive. $1.79 for a 2-liter of Coke is an OUTRAGE!

 

[glhs837]

The federal government spends about $74 billion per year on SNAP and places very few restrictions on how recipients use the benefit. Beneficiaries are only prohibited from buying alcohol, nonfood items like cleaning supplies or medicine, and prepared food.

Right, for those things, they sell "dollars" on the SNAP card for cash. And get hookups from people in the stores to get "unprepared" foods like shrimp steamed "prepared" for parties. Who's to know?

 

[Radiant1]

Soda isn't nutritious, but it is cheap and that's likely why so much is being purchased. Does Mom buy an extra gallon of milk and purchase less meat or vegetables for the table, or pay for soda and purchase more meat and vegetables? Hmm.

Maybe they should just drink non-bottled water all the time, eh?

 

[glhs837]

Soda isn't nutritious, but it is cheap and that's likely why so much is being purchased. Does Mom buy an extra gallon of milk and purchase less meat or vegetables for the table, or pay for soda and purchase more meat and vegetables? Hmm.

Maybe they should just drink non-bottled water all the time, eh?

Hmmmm, I doubt the trade off is milk for veggies. Maybe milk for EasyMac.

 

[terbear1225]

Soda isn't nutritious, but it is cheap and that's likely why so much is being purchased. Does Mom buy an extra gallon of milk and purchase less meat or vegetables for the table, or pay for soda and purchase more meat and vegetables? Hmm.

Maybe they should just drink non-bottled water all the time, eh?

maybe they should, maybe we all should.

 

[glhs837]

maybe they should, maybe we all should.

Well, maybe not Flint, they are better off with soda.......

 

[Larry Gude]

...given all the other possible choices.

]

There's that damn word again...

 

[GURPS]

there should be a huge list on Prohibited foods when using an Independence card ... like WIC

Nothing Prepared, NO soda, Chips .... meat and vegetables the Gov could run its own stores with the money being wasted

 

[black dog]

I live in a small town that has well over 20% of the population is on some type of county, State or Federal lifestyle. You can't get through a grocery line without seeing it.
When shopping at the grocery store very seldom do you see good choices being made with what our tax dollars are being spent on. And typically when good choices are made its buying high end meats and seafood.
Carts full of snacks , sodas and microwave food is the norm.
What has gotten popular now are the takeout restaurants selling uncooked food that can be purchased with any type of food card and the buyer pays a dollar cash after paying with a food card to have it cooked.
So many people you meet out here will admit in conversations that they have spent years to try to get on any type of monthly disablity check.
Nothing like paying for your fuel and the chic in front of you is buying 4 Monster drinks and a handful of Twinkies and pays with her SNAP card.
Its their American Dream.

SNAP
WIC
SPG
CACFP
FFVP
NSLP
SNAP
SMP
SCRAP
FMNP. The programs just seem endless..

 

[glhs837]

I live in a small town that has well over 20% of the population is on some type of county, State or Federal lifestyle. You can't get through a grocery line without seeing it.
When shopping at the grocery store very seldom do you see good choices being made with what our tax dollars are being spent on. And typically when good choices are made its buying high end meats and seafood.
Carts full of snacks , sodas and microwave food is the norm.
What has gotten popular now are the takeout restaurants selling uncooked food that can be purchased with any type of food card and the buyer pays a dollar cash after paying with a food card to have it cooked.
So many people you meet out here will admit in conversations that they have spent years to try to get on any type of monthly disablity check.
Its their American Dream.

See below for how I feel about this......

 

[Clem72]

there should be a huge list on Prohibited foods when using an Independence card ... like WIC

Nothing Prepared, NO soda, Chips .... meat and vegetables the Gov could run its own stores with the money being wasted

I have a vision of a dystopian future where all of the fit and trim people are looked down upon because they can only afford to eat healthy foods.

 

[black dog]

See below for how I feel about this......

View attachment 116723

The cashier's and the Manager of our local grocery store always enjoy me when I'm in line waiting to pay. Because I am the guy who always has something to say in a brash / demeaning but often uplifting way to the well deserved foodstamp crowd. I should video and start a YouTube channel with the responses I get in return.

 

[luvmygdaughters]

If I'm paying for your groceries, I should have a right to say what you can buy with it. If you have 3 or 4 small kids at home and you're buying soda's, chips and junkfood, you need to have your snap card unsnapped. Saw a woman buy 3 cases of soda, Doritos and popcorn. She also bought a quart of milk and some cereal. She had two young children with her, not sure how many she may have had at home.

 

[Clem72]

If I'm paying for your groceries, I should have a right to say what you can buy with it. If you have 3 or 4 small kids at home and you're buying soda's, chips and junkfood, you need to have your snap card unsnapped. Saw a woman buy 3 cases of soda, Doritos and popcorn. She also bought a quart of milk and some cereal. She had two young children with her, not sure how many she may have had at home.

Yeah, but the guy who owns the local Doritos and Soda distributers would vote that they eat the junk food, and he (probably) pays more taxes...

 

[glhs837]

The cashier's and the Manager of our local grocery store always enjoy me when I'm in line waiting to pay. Because I am the guy who always has something to say in a brash / demeaning but often uplifting way to the well deserved foodstamp crowd. I should video and start a YouTube channel with the responses I get in return.

Hmmm, that word you used, I'm not sure it means what you think it means...

 

[vraiblonde]

Not sure why SNAP doesn't work like WIC, where you get vouchers for actual food instead of an EBT card. That would make more sense if we really want to feed children and not just piss money down the drain and erroneously feel good about ourselves for "doing something".

 

[black dog]

Hmmm, that word you used, I'm not sure it means what you think it means...

Thank You Mr Obvious,
up·lift·ing
əpˈliftiNG/
adjective
morally or spiritually elevating; inspiring happiness or hope.
"an uplifting tune"


Now do you understand Sarcasm?
Or would you like me to explain it to in in my usual brash / demeaning but often uplifting way?

 

[black dog]

Not sure why SNAP doesn't work like WIC, where you get vouchers for actual food instead of an EBT card. That would make more sense if we really want to feed children and not just piss money down the drain and erroneously feel good about ourselves for "doing something".

That would encroach on there rights to choose what food they would like to purchase.
We have a few county's in Indiana that a SNAP card can be used at certain fast food restaurants so even the homeless can have a hot big Mac and chic nuggets.
Some States also have debit cards that can be used to withdraw cash. The free programs are truly endless.

 

[glhs837]

Thank You Mr Obvious,
up·lift·ing
əpˈliftiNG/
adjective
morally or spiritually elevating; inspiring happiness or hope.
"an uplifting tune"


Now do you understand Sarcasm?
Or would you like me to explain it to in in my usual brash / demeaning but often uplifting way?

A smiley (sometimes simply called a happy or smiling face) is a stylized representation of a smiling humanoid face, an important part of popular culture. The classic form designed in 1963 comprises a yellow circle with two black dots representing eyes and a black arc representing the mouth (☺). On the Internet and in other plain text communication channels, the emoticon form (sometimes also called the smiley-face emoticon) has traditionally been most popular, typically employing a colon and a right parenthesis to form sequences like :^), , or that resemble a smiling face when viewed after rotation through 90 degrees.

There, now we have both learned something But I knew you were being sarcastic and was joking about that