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Should we restrict food stamps to bulk staples and basic ingredients?

Should food stamps only be redeemable for bulk staples and basic ingredients?

  • Yes

    Votes: 31 52.5%

  • No

    Votes: 28 47.5%
  • Total voters
    59
274ina said:
SNAP already does not cover the basic supplies.

it needs to be EXPANDED, to cover all needed items.

Including gas or bus pass to GET the stupid food in the first place.
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what next, a butler to tie their shoes too?
 
Dr. Chuckles said:
Healthier than a hot pocket and numerous other processed foods that one can buy with food stamps? Indeed Yes, but I am assuming you want to adopt some extreme definition of "healthy" to aid your position.

I'll give a better example what we are discussing here:

Great Value: Oven-Toasted Quick Oats, 42 Oz=3.18
servings per container-30
Sodium-0
Sugar-1g


Quaker Instant Fruit & Cream Oatmeal, 10ct= 2.88
servings per container-10 (1 packet)
Sodium;190 mg
sugar-12g

See the difference?
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Whether you accept it or not, the facts speak for themselves. With or without welfare people who live in poverty eat more poorly. You can go on thinking that they are eating ramen because they love it and hate fresh foods and secretly want to spend more money on less nutritious products if you want to. You can talk all day about oats and rice and hot pockets. That is not being realistic. People are not going to eat oats and rice three times a day and your assertion that they should is insane. Fresh fruits and vegetables, real meat cost more than packaged goods. I not going to keep trying to convince you otherwise. You seem to have your mind set that people eat junk food solely to waste tax payer money.
 
Kreton said:
Whether you accept it or not, the facts speak for themselves. With or without welfare people who live in poverty eat more poorly. You can go on thinking that they are eating ramen because they love it and hate fresh foods and secretly want to spend more money on less nutritious products if you want to. You can talk all day about oats and rice and hot pockets. That is not being realistic. People are not going to eat oats and rice three times a day and your assertion that they should is insane. Fresh fruits and vegetables, real meat cost more than packaged goods. I not going to keep trying to convince you otherwise. You seem to have your mind set that people eat junk food solely to waste tax payer money.
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Sort of off-topic but, if we did give more money into the food stamp program, how would one know it wouldn't just be spend on more of the bad variety?
 
Hamster Buddha said:
Sort of off-topic but, if we did give more money into the food stamp program, how would one know it wouldn't just be spend on more of the bad variety?
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All I was saying before is that if we were to limit welfare recipients to only healthy or fresh foods then we would need to raise the amount of money received.
 
Kreton said:
Whether you accept it or not, the facts speak for themselves. With or without welfare people who live in poverty eat more poorly. You can go on thinking that they are eating ramen because they love it and hate fresh foods and secretly want to spend more money on less nutritious products if you want to.
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How does this address the point I just underlined about the distinction in heavily processed foods here, their mark-up in cost, and increase in things like unhealthy, fats sugars, and sodium?

I just showed you are two different type of oatmeal that would both be available through current snap regulations, how one offered three times the serving for the same price, and the other being 3 times the cost, came with 12 times the sugar and 190 times the sodium. And your only response to this is ignore such facts and act as if such regulations could have no impact on the costs of such programs and health profile of their diets?


You can talk all day about oats and rice and hot pockets. That is not being realistic. People are not going to eat oats and rice three times a day and your assertion that they should is insane.
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I never asserted such. What I asserted was that one could eat cheaper and healthier by avoiding heavily processed foods and just cited an example of oatmeal. In fact, when I cited my own diet, I included fresh fruit, vegetables, and meat. Which I tend to have with every meal.

Fresh fruits and vegetables, real meat cost more than packaged goods.
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Based on what? Chicken can cost anywhere from 1.50-3.00lb, depending on the cut. And things like apples, carrots, bananas are exceptionally cheap all year round, which says nothing about basic frozen and canned vegetables


I not going to keep trying to convince you otherwise. You seem to have your mind set that people eat junk food solely to waste tax payer money.
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No, they eat it because it tastes great, and takes no effort to make
 
Korimyr the Rat said:
And stores like Sam's Club and Costco that offer bulk foods don't accept SNAP.
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Yes they do.


Food Stamps
We currently accept SNAP cards at all Club locations, and you must be a Member to purchase items in-Club without incurring a service fee.

SNAP cards are formerly known as Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards or food stamps.

Member Privileges and Conditions
Payment

We welcome cash,* checks,* debit/ATM cards,** Costco Cash Cards, Costco Credit Cards**, EBT Cards and American Express Cards.** Checks may require picture identification and approval by a supervisor or manager.
 
radcen said:
Ok, but what's wrong with KoolAid? If you buy the sugar free version it's pretty much just flavored water.
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Whats wrong with just drinking plain water?

I already think many of the views on this are unnecessary micromanaging, but bringing down to something like this is just absurd.
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No its not.Food stamps shouldn't pay for any and everything at a grocery store.
 
jamesrage said:
Whats wrong with just drinking plain water?


No its not.Food stamps shouldn't pay for any and everything at a grocery store.
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You're avoiding the question. Twice now. Nothing's "wrong" with water. Let's try a third time: What's wrong with KoolAid?
 
radcen said:
You're avoiding the question. Twice now. Nothing's "wrong" with water. Let's try a third time: What's wrong with KoolAid?
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It's an unneeded expense and fulfills absolutely no nutritional needs?
 
radcen said:
You're avoiding the question. Twice now. Nothing's "wrong" with water. Let's try a third time: What's wrong with KoolAid?
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It is not food.It is an unnecessary expense.
 
jamesrage said:
Food Stamps
We currently accept SNAP cards at all Club locations, and you must be a Member to purchase items in-Club without incurring a service fee.
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I stand corrected, but this must be a recent change; I've been in Sam's Club as recently as last year and they couldn't.
 
Dr. Chuckles said:
It's an unneeded expense and fulfills absolutely no nutritional needs?
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jamesrage said:
It is not food.It is an unnecessary expense.
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So, since we're being selfless and are only concerned with the health implications of the meager rations we're willing to allow, we reject KoolAid but would be more than happy and willing to allow orange juice, which is far more expensive but has vitamins and legitimate nutritional value. Correct?
 
radcen said:
So, since we're being selfless and are only concerned with the health implications of the meager rations we're willing to allow, we reject KoolAid but would be more than happy and willing to allow orange juice, which is far more expensive but has vitamins and legitimate nutritional value. Correct?
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As long as a it is generic orange juice I do not have a problem with it.
 
jamesrage said:
As long as a it is generic orange juice I do not have a problem with it.
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Fair enough.

How about if the brand name is on sale for less than the generic on a given day?

When you say generic, I presume you mean non-brand name. How do you define "generic" and/or "brand name"? Often there's three versions, a brand name such as Minute Maid, a store house brand which is usually in the middle, and some almost literal no-name brand. Which category would a store's house brand fall under? Or, should I presume that when you say generic you simply mean "whatever is cheapest"?
 
radcen said:
So, since we're being selfless and are only concerned with the health implications of the meager rations we're willing to allow, we reject KoolAid but would be more than happy and willing to allow orange juice, which is far more expensive but has vitamins and legitimate nutritional value. Correct?
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1) I'm not being selfless and only concerned about health implications. Though I see no reason why such monies should not be geared towards delivering healthy foods, since such makes the most economical sense

2) My concern is one of efficiency, as with any other govt program. That money the govt spends should be done so with an eye towards delivering the most bang for it's buck

3) Yes, I am all for Orange Juice, since it clearly fills a nutritional need.
 
radcen said:
Fair enough.

How about if the brand name is on sale for less than the generic on a given day?
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I'm not sure why you keep trying to make this needlessly complex. Allowing brand names or not, is just as complicated as the current wic program's limits on what can be purchased or even the current limits based on snap. It's only a matter of changing what is and isn't allowed.


Not complex at all
 
radcen said:
Fair enough.

How about if the brand name is on sale for less than the generic on a given day?

When you say generic, I presume you mean non-brand name. How do you define "generic" and/or "brand name"? Often there's three versions, a brand name such as Minute Maid, a store house brand which is usually in the middle, and some almost literal no-name brand. Which category would a store's house brand fall under? Or, should I presume that when you say generic you simply mean "whatever is cheapest"?
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When I say generic I generally mean no- name brands but what ever is cheaper in your average store then that would also be acceptable.
 
jamesrage said:
When I say generic I generally mean no- name brands but what ever is cheaper in your average store then that would also be acceptable.
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What about WholeFoods and other specialty stores?
 
Dr. Chuckles said:
I'm not sure why you keep trying to make this needlessly complex. Allowing brand names or not, is just as complicated as the current wic program's limits on what can be purchased or even the current limits based on snap. It's only a matter of changing what is and isn't allowed.

Not complex at all
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I'm pointing out that your desired criteria is more complex than you want to admit.
 
radcen said:
I'm pointing out that your desired criteria is more complex than you want to admit.
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No it really isn't. We already structure wic in the same way
 
radcen said:
Not only that, but what about cost differences in non-specialty stores? Should they be banned from a regional grocery chain that charges more than Walmart for the same item?
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do we currently do so now? No, so why the need to try and make this needlessly complex?
 
There is a very easy way to limit what can and can't be bought with assistance money.

Either make four things in any store eligible - beans, rice, meat/tofu, vegetables - and only acceot stamps at discount outlets, or provide so little money that these are the only things that can be purchased and only at discount outlets.

Either way, the spirit of the program (nutrition) is fulfilled and no money is needlessly wasted or given to someone who did not earn something more.
 
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