Food Stamps: $1.3 Billion Spent on Junk Food, Soft Drinks, Says Study

[carpro]

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/01/15/food-stamps-billions-spent-junk-food/


Food Stamps: $1.3 Billion Spent on Junk Food, Soft Drinks, Says Study


Americans use food stamps to buy more than $600 million worth of “sweetened beverages,” and bought hundreds of millions more of junk food and sugary snacks, according to a report published by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Overall, food stamps worth nearly $1.3 billion were spent on “sweetened drinks, desserts, salty snacks, candy, and sugar,” which accounted for about 20 cents of every dollar spent on food items purchased by 26.5 million households in 2011, said the report.


Overall, SNAP users spent 22.8 percent of their benefit on sugary drinks, desserts, salty snacks, candy, sugar, plus jams and sweets, and only 11.9 percent on fruits and vegetables. Families that don’t use the SNAP program spent 20 percent of their funds on those sweet items, and 16.3 percent on fruits and vegetables.

 

[Bro. James]

It takes a lot of bucks to support ConAgra, Bayer, Monsanto, etal. Sorry, forgot the AMA. Processed food and the consequences therefrom is big business folks.

An organic banana is still cheaper than a candy bar.

We are sugar addicts folks, rich or poor.

Now what?

Bro. James

 

[Rob_BW]

[Edit: Quoting deleted post.]

So questioning one's Christianity over their lack of support for food stamps is an acceptable debate tactic?

 

[Rolfe]

[Edit: Quoting deleted post.]

 

[carpro]

So questioning one's Christianity over their lack of support for food stamps is an acceptable debate tactic?

It's laughable. Besides, I never said I didn't support the food stamp program, but like most government giveaways, it's full of waste and fraud.

I believe soft drinks and snack foods should be banned from the program, as well as alcohol and cigarettes. The money should be used for real food and staples, not non nutritious junk food.

 

[InTheLight]

Overall, SNAP users spent 22.8 percent of their benefit on sugary drinks, desserts, salty snacks, candy, sugar, plus jams and sweets, and only 11.9 percent on fruits and vegetables. Families that don’t use the SNAP program spent 20 percent of their funds on those sweet items, and 16.3 percent on fruits and vegetables.

Oh my goodness! 2.8% of the food stamp program is out of line with the rest of the nation! The waste, the fraud! Something must be done!

1. Have bureaucrats in Washington DC create a government list of acceptable foods that may be bought with food stamps.

2. Compel grocery store cashiers to attend government training classes where they will memorize the foods on the unacceptable list.

3. Eliminate all self-serve checkout lanes at grocery stores. Provide subsidies to store owners to make the switch-over.

4. Hire thousands of government workers to roam grocery store aisles to preemptively check people's carts for acceptable and unacceptable foods. They would also hand out literature detailing the government's guidelines for healthy foods. "Investigate and educate". Some Democrat would think of this because the Dems wouldn't want people to get kicked off of food stamps and go hungry.

5. Issue food stamp users an ID card that will keep track of sweet and junk food infractions. Card must be presented and scanned to verify compliance with government food stamp program before food may be purchased. Some Republican would think of this because the Reps wouldn't want people to get free taxpayer food, and well, Republicans like ID cards.

 

[Bro. James]

Basic problem: many of the ones on food stamps know not how to prepare real food, nor are they so inclined to learn. They have been on junk food for several generations.

We live in a welfare state folks--it is getting worse.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Bro. James

 

[carpro]

Oh my goodness! 2.8% of the food stamp program is out of line with the rest of the nation! The waste, the fraud! Something must be done!

2.8% ??

Can you read?

Good rant, btw. Idiotic, but pretty good.

 

[kitkatjoe]

To interject Jesus and feeding the hungry does not fit into this political position of I am against food stamps. To demean an entire program that is providing for the needs of many Americans is not sweet. I find your argument to be bitter. May God help us to see the poor and hungry through His eyes.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Revmitchell]

To interject Jesus and feeding the hungry does not fit into this political position of I am against food stamps. To demean an entire program that is providing for the needs of many Americans is not sweet. I find your argument to be bitter. May God help us to see the poor and hungry through His eyes.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

To interject Jesus as a defense when there is a discussion going on about the abuses of government programs is a misuse of that privilege. It is wrongheaded to think that only the poor or hungry are being served through these programs. Further it is also wrongheaded to think that one should not criticizes such programs . They should always be limited and temporary.

 

[carpro]

To interject Jesus and feeding the hungry does not fit into this political position of I am against food stamps. To demean an entire program that is providing for the needs of many Americans is not sweet. I find your argument to be bitter. May God help us to see the poor and hungry through His eyes.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I hear flies buzzing and crickets chirping.

Buzz off.

 

[InTheLight]

2.8% ??

Can you read?

Sure can. It's apparently a problem for you though.

22.8% of SNAP recipients spend their food stamps on sugary food.
20.0% of non-SNAP (the rest of us) spend their money on sugary food.

That's a 2.8% deviation from normal by food stamp users.

Understand now?

 

[Revmitchell]

Oh my goodness! 2.8% of the food stamp program is out of line with the rest of the nation! The waste, the fraud! Something must be done!

Your statement either misrepresents the issue or you just do not understand it. It matters not what people do when they earn their own wage and pay for it themselves. When they are dependent on the tax payer it is a completely different story.

 

[InTheLight]

Your statement either misrepresents the issue or you just do not understand it. It matters not what people do when they earn their own wage and pay for it themselves. When they are dependent on the tax payer it is a completely different story.

If you say so.

 

[Rolfe]

To interject Jesus and feeding the hungry does not fit into this political position of I am against food stamps.

I am all for helping those who need help and who make an effort to help themselves, but what help is it really to buy these people booze and munchies? II Thessalonians 3:10.

 

[carpro]

Sure can. It's apparently a problem for you though.

22.8% of SNAP recipients spend their food stamps on sugary food.
20.0% of non-SNAP (the rest of us) spend their money on sugary food.

That's a 2.8% deviation from normal by food stamp users.

Understand now?

Yep, sure do. My bad.

But how you spend your money is up to you. If I give you money for food, I expect it to be spent on food, not junk. The point is the same. Your percentage makes no difference whatsoever concerning the main point.

 

[FollowTheWay]

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/01/15/food-stamps-billions-spent-junk-food/


Food Stamps: $1.3 Billion Spent on Junk Food, Soft Drinks, Says Study


Americans use food stamps to buy more than $600 million worth of “sweetened beverages,” and bought hundreds of millions more of junk food and sugary snacks, according to a report published by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Overall, food stamps worth nearly $1.3 billion were spent on “sweetened drinks, desserts, salty snacks, candy, and sugar,” which accounted for about 20 cents of every dollar spent on food items purchased by 26.5 million households in 2011, said the report.


Overall, SNAP users spent 22.8 percent of their benefit on sugary drinks, desserts, salty snacks, candy, sugar, plus jams and sweets, and only 11.9 percent on fruits and vegetables. Families that don’t use the SNAP program spent 20 percent of their funds on those sweet items, and 16.3 percent on fruits and vegetables.

There were no major differences in the expenditure patterns of SNAP and non-SNAP households, no matter how the data were categorized. Similar to most American households:
 About 40 cents of every dollar of food expenditures by SNAP households was spent on basic items such as meat, fruits, vegetables, milk, eggs, and bread.
 Another 20 cents out of every dollar was spent on sweetened beverages, desserts, salty snacks, candy and sugar.
 The remaining 40 cents were spent on a variety of items such as cereal, prepared foods, dairy products, rice, and beans.
 The top 10 summary categories and the top 7 commodities by expenditure were the same for SNAP and non-SNAP households, although ranked in slightly different orders.
 Expenditure shares for each of the USDA Food Pattern categories (dairy, fruits, grains, oils, protein foods, solid fats and added sugars (SoFAS), and vegetables) varied by no more than 3 cents per dollar when comparing SNAP and non-SNAP households. Protein foods represented the largest expenditure share for both household types, while proportionally more was spent on fruits and vegetables than on SoFAS, grains, or dairy.
 Less healthy food items were common purchases for both SNAP and non-SNAP households. Sweetened beverages, prepared desserts and salty snacks were among the
IMPAQ International, LLC Page 5 Foods Typically Purchased by SNAP Households
top 10 summary categories for both groups. Expenditures were greater for sweetened beverages compared to all milk for both groups, as well.
 Expenditures were concentrated in a relatively small number of similar food-item categories. The top 5 summary groups totaled half (50%) of the expenditures for SNAP households and nearly half (47%) for non-SNAP households. Twenty-five commodities accounted for over forty percent of the food expenditures in these data with SNAP and non-SNAP households having 20 of them in common. The top 25 subcommodities for SNAP households and non-SNAP households, respectively, accounted for between one-fifth to one-quarter of total food expenditures for each group with 16 subcommodities in common for the two groups.

https://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/ops/SNAPFoodsTypicallyPurchased.pdf

 

[FollowTheWay]

Basically, this says that people on food stamps buy what most Americans buy. I would agree that this isn't a good diet. Michelle Obama tried to make that statement for school children but people like you shouted her down.

 

[Rolfe]

Remit As a follower of Jesus he should guide our thinking about ministry to the poor.

"Remit"? Perhaps I am having an ESL moment, but this makes little sense.

 

[Rob_BW]

I have a hard time categorizing SNAP as a ministry.