Bill aims to ban "junk" in food stamp program

A Tennessee Republican introduced a bill on Tuesday that would limit the kinds of food that food stamp recipients can buy, according to The Hill.

Rep. Phil Roe said he wants the national food stamp program to have same standards as state-level programs started in Wisconsin and South Carolina that aims to stop an estimated $2 billion of unhealthy food purchases made with funds provided by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

"By giving SNAP recipients more nutritious choices, we can take a meaningful step towards ending hunger in America," he told The Hill.

Roe's bill would make the SNAP program adhere to the same standards that the Women Infant and Children (WIC) program puts on food purchases. Critics have alleged that the WIC program's food choices aren't necessarily based on science and need to better adhere to nutrional guidelines.

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/gop-bill-aims-to-ban-junk-in-food

Good idea but some things to consider:
- Will they take into account that healthier food costs more?
- Healthier stuff takes longer to make. If you're working two minimum wage jobs and taking care of kids it's hard to spend 30+ minutes cooking.
- And just for the lulz; the GOP was in uproar about Michelle Obama's initiative to ban junk food in schools and now this lol. The irony is not lost.

Do you think food stamp recipients should be able to buy whatever food they want or should there be guidelines/rules in place?

If its the same guidelines that they use for WIC with a few minor updates then I don't see a problem.

Healthy food doesn't always cost more, I managed to make 3 meals a day for £10 in total. And cooking? Most healthy food is best served raw and only needs washed and prepared, not fried in fat for 20 minutes destroying all traces of the already annihilated nutrition.JohnF111

As someone who lives alone and buys his own groceries (except when I raid my mom's fridge) I can assure you that healthy all natural food costs more than junk food and soft drinks.

Healthier food can be done cheap as hell. If my tax dollars are paying for it, I'd rather it be limited to that kind of food anyways.

Healthy food doesn't always cost moreJohnF111

I can get most vegetables for $1 a lb. Whole grain pasta/oats is usually $1-1.20 a lb. Whole grain bread is usually 1-1.50 a lb. Organic meats can be found as smaller stores for $2-2.50 a lb easily. Fruits are generally pretty cheap (3-4 banannas for a $1, 2 apples for a $1.....ect). Dairy products such as string cheese, yogurt, and milk are almost always reasonably priced. This list goes on and on

As a whole (looking at from a whole spectrum) healthy food is technically more expensive but that doesn't mean that every single product is more expensive. Its not that hard to eat healthy at almost the same price as junk food

Whats funny is that most of the people who have whined to me about healthy food prices pay $5-6 for lunch to eat a bunch of crap while I pay $2-2.50 to eat an apple, protein shake, 4oz of vegetables and two peices of chicken on whole grain italian pasta (talk about the irony)

i dunno about tennessee, but in some states you can buy tobacco, booze, and even gamble with food stamps. that'd probably be a better place to start than junk food.

and beware mr. republican rep, the mistress of socialism, mrs. Michelle Obama would probably agree with this position you're taking. You have been warned..

I find it kinda funny how poor people on welfare/food stamps are statistically some of the fattest people around.

[QUOTE="JohnF111"]Healthy food doesn't always cost moremastershake575

I can get most vegetables for $1 a lb. Whole grain pasta/oats is usually $1-1.20 a lb. Whole grain bread is usually 1-1.50 a lb. Organic meats can be found as smaller stores for $2-2.50 a lb easily. Fruits are generally pretty cheap (3-4 banannas for a $1, 2 apples for a $1.....ect). Dairy products such as string cheese, yogurt, and milk are almost always reasonably priced. This list goes on and on

As a whole (looking at from a whole spectrum) healthy food is technically more expensive but that doesn't mean that every single product is more expensive. Its not that hard to eat healthy at almost the same price as junk food

Whats funny is that most of the people who have whined to me about healthy food prices pay $5-6 for lunch to eat a bunch of crap while I pay $2-2.50 to eat an apple, protein shake, 4oz of vegetables and two peices of chicken on whole grain italian pasta (talk about the irony)

I find it kinda funny how poor people on welfare/food stamps are statistically some of the fattest people around.

Renevent42

[QUOTE="Renevent42"]

I find it kinda funny how poor people on welfare/food stamps are statistically some of the fattest people around.

Person0

I disagree...healthy food (as shown above) can be extremely cheap if you stick to the basics. Poor people buy unhealthy food because they are lazy and would rather eat junk/processed foods. 

There's absolutely nothing stopping poor people from buying healthy food...it's a decision on their part. 

[QUOTE="Person0"][QUOTE="Renevent42"]

I find it kinda funny how poor people on welfare/food stamps are statistically some of the fattest people around.

Renevent42

I disagree...healthy food (as shown above) can be extremely cheap if you stick to the basics. Poor people buy unhealthy food because they are lazy and would rather eat junk/processed foods. 

There's absolutely nothing stopping poor people from buying healthy food...it's a decision on their part. 

A Tennessee Republican introduced a bill on Tuesday that would limit the kinds of food that food stamp recipients can buy, according to The Hill.

Rep. Phil Roe said he wants the national food stamp program to have same standards as state-level programs started in Wisconsin and South Carolina that aims to stop an estimated $2 billion of unhealthy food purchases made with funds provided by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

"By giving SNAP recipients more nutritious choices, we can take a meaningful step towards ending hunger in America," he told The Hill.

Roe's bill would make the SNAP program adhere to the same standards that the Women Infant and Children (WIC) program puts on food purchases. Critics have alleged that the WIC program's food choices aren't necessarily based on science and need to better adhere to nutrional guidelines.

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/gop-bill-aims-to-ban-junk-in-food

Good idea but some things to consider:
- Will they take into account that healthier food costs more?
- Healthier stuff takes longer to make. If you're working two minimum wage jobs and taking care of kids it's hard to spend 30+ minutes cooking.
- And just for the lulz; the GOP was in uproar about Michelle Obama's initiative to ban junk food in schools and now this lol. The irony is not lost.

Do you think food stamp recipients should be able to buy whatever food they want or should there be guidelines/rules in place?

 

 

Aljosa23

I am all for it. Get people to buy more chicken or pork as well as lean cuts of beef to go with the veggies and cook them in ways other than frying everything and it isn't expensive at all. I just picked up a 2 pound sirloing tip roast for $8.00 and that will feed me at least twice. Use some no-salt seasoning and roast it on the grill or in an oven and within an hour you have a decent meal. Add some pasta (egg noodles can be had for a couple of bucks) and add some fresh corn or other veggies (ears of fresh corn can be had for cheap, often less than a $1 an ear) and roast that on the grill too. For $5 you have a cheap meal. 

Chicken (boned and skinless chicken breasts) can be grilled in 10 minutes (depending on how big a breast is, I get some that are over .8 lbs sometimes). Again, more pasta or even a baked potato (can be done in the microwave) with more fresh veggies for about $5.

Once could feed a family of 4 for less than $15 a night for dinner if you buy the right stuff. Buy flour, sugar, cornstarch and baking soda and baking powder and make your own breads, pasta and deserts. Make baking bread a family affair if you have to.

Get people to buy more than Hamburger Helper, prepackaged frozen foods (loaded with tons of salt), soda, chips and sweets (if you really want sweets, make or bake them yourself).

[QUOTE="Renevent42"]

[QUOTE="Person0"] Unhealthy food is cheap. People with food stamps dont get much money so they but unhealthy food.Person0

I disagree...healthy food (as shown above) can be extremely cheap if you stick to the basics. Poor people buy unhealthy food because they are lazy and would rather eat junk/processed foods. 

There's absolutely nothing stopping poor people from buying healthy food...it's a decision on their part. 

Really has no relevance...yeah you can say a McDouble (for a buck or whatever it is) per calorie is cheaper...the reality is that doesn't matter. The fact is it is totally doable to cheaply eat healthy and get a full days worth of calories/nutrition without having to eat junk food. If someone just eats junk, it's their decision there's nothing stopping them from eating healthy. 

[QUOTE="Aljosa23"]

A Tennessee Republican introduced a bill on Tuesday that would limit the kinds of food that food stamp recipients can buy, according to The Hill.

Rep. Phil Roe said he wants the national food stamp program to have same standards as state-level programs started in Wisconsin and South Carolina that aims to stop an estimated $2 billion of unhealthy food purchases made with funds provided by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

"By giving SNAP recipients more nutritious choices, we can take a meaningful step towards ending hunger in America," he told The Hill.

Roe's bill would make the SNAP program adhere to the same standards that the Women Infant and Children (WIC) program puts on food purchases. Critics have alleged that the WIC program's food choices aren't necessarily based on science and need to better adhere to nutrional guidelines.

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/gop-bill-aims-to-ban-junk-in-food

Good idea but some things to consider:
- Will they take into account that healthier food costs more?
- Healthier stuff takes longer to make. If you're working two minimum wage jobs and taking care of kids it's hard to spend 30+ minutes cooking.
- And just for the lulz; the GOP was in uproar about Michelle Obama's initiative to ban junk food in schools and now this lol. The irony is not lost.

Do you think food stamp recipients should be able to buy whatever food they want or should there be guidelines/rules in place?

El_Zo1212o

I have seen EBT Accepted here at auto parts stores. 

I am all for it. Get people to buy more chicken or pork as well as lean cuts of beef to go with the veggies and cook them in ways other than frying everything and it isn't expensive at all. I just picked up a 2 pound sirloing tip roast for $8.00 and that will feed me at least twice. Use some no-salt seasoning and roast it on the grill or in an oven and within an hour you have a decent meal. Add some pasta (egg noodles can be had for a couple of bucks) and add some fresh corn or other veggies (ears of fresh corn can be had for cheap, often less than a $1 an ear) and roast that on the grill too. For $5 you have a cheap meal. 

Chicken (boned and skinless chicken breasts) can be grilled in 10 minutes (depending on how big a breast is, I get some that are over .8 lbs sometimes). Again, more pasta or even a baked potato (can be done in the microwave) with more fresh veggies for about $5.

Once could feed a family of 4 for less than $15 a night for dinner if you buy the right stuff. Buy flour, sugar, cornstarch and baking soda and baking powder and make your own breads, pasta and deserts. Make baking bread a family affair if you have to.

Get people to buy more than Hamburger Helper, prepackaged frozen foods (loaded with tons of salt), soda, chips and sweets (if you really want sweets, make or bake them yourself).

WhiteKnight77

$15 per dinner is extremely high...you can get 2 pounds of chicken for $4, a 1lb bag of rice for like $1. and frozen veggies for $1. Proceed to make a stir fry and  enjoy.  Feeds 4 and costs $6.

[QUOTE="WhiteKnight77"]

I am all for it. Get people to buy more chicken or pork as well as lean cuts of beef to go with the veggies and cook them in ways other than frying everything and it isn't expensive at all. I just picked up a 2 pound sirloing tip roast for $8.00 and that will feed me at least twice. Use some no-salt seasoning and roast it on the grill or in an oven and within an hour you have a decent meal. Add some pasta (egg noodles can be had for a couple of bucks) and add some fresh corn or other veggies (ears of fresh corn can be had for cheap, often less than a $1 an ear) and roast that on the grill too. For $5 you have a cheap meal. 

Chicken (boned and skinless chicken breasts) can be grilled in 10 minutes (depending on how big a breast is, I get some that are over .8 lbs sometimes). Again, more pasta or even a baked potato (can be done in the microwave) with more fresh veggies for about $5.

Once could feed a family of 4 for less than $15 a night for dinner if you buy the right stuff. Buy flour, sugar, cornstarch and baking soda and baking powder and make your own breads, pasta and deserts. Make baking bread a family affair if you have to.

Get people to buy more than Hamburger Helper, prepackaged frozen foods (loaded with tons of salt), soda, chips and sweets (if you really want sweets, make or bake them yourself).

Person0

If one makes enough, for leftovers, the price of the meal goes down. That sirloin tip roast will feed me at least twice. That means I have spent $4 just for meat and if I make rice (I do eat lots of rice and buy it 5 lbs at a time), I have only spent about $4.25 if that for one meal. Of course I am single so that helps to being able to spend less as I often make enough to make at least two meals. I make a 64 OZ jar of speghetti sauce for maybe $3 and it lasts 4 meals or more.  

Fat people are affecting normal people yet again maybe they should get their own state.

my sister works at gas station on the weekend for extra money. she says every Saturday this woman brings her 5 kids in buys ice cream, candy bars, chips 

kinda find it a joke...

[QUOTE="JohnF111"]Healthy food doesn't always cost more, I managed to make 3 meals a day for £10 in total. And cooking? Most healthy food is best served raw and only needs washed and prepared, not fried in fat for 20 minutes destroying all traces of the already annihilated nutrition.Diablo-B

As someone who lives alone and buys his own groceries (except when I raid my mom's fridge) I can assure you that healthy all natural food costs more than junk food and soft drinks.

I'm pretty sure the bill isn't suggesting people must buy organic food.

I'm sure it is simply saying you cannot buy boxes of Ring Dings and bags of Funyuns with food stamps.

A Tennessee Republican introduced a bill on Tuesday that would limit the kinds of food that food stamp recipients can buy, according to The Hill.

Rep. Phil Roe said he wants the national food stamp program to have same standards as state-level programs started in Wisconsin and South Carolina that aims to stop an estimated $2 billion of unhealthy food purchases made with funds provided by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

"By giving SNAP recipients more nutritious choices, we can take a meaningful step towards ending hunger in America," he told The Hill.

Roe's bill would make the SNAP program adhere to the same standards that the Women Infant and Children (WIC) program puts on food purchases. Critics have alleged that the WIC program's food choices aren't necessarily based on science and need to better adhere to nutrional guidelines.

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/gop-bill-aims-to-ban-junk-in-food

Good idea but some things to consider:
- Will they take into account that healthier food costs more?
- Healthier stuff takes longer to make. If you're working two minimum wage jobs and taking care of kids it's hard to spend 30+ minutes cooking.
- And just for the lulz; the GOP was in uproar about Michelle Obama's initiative to ban junk food in schools and now this lol. The irony is not lost.

Do you think food stamp recipients should be able to buy whatever food they want or should there be guidelines/rules in place?

 

 

Aljosa23

2. It may take longer... but it may not. For example... yesterday I ate baked tilapia (fish) and pasta and broccoli. It takes about 2 minutes to make the sauce for the fish and 8 minutes to bake the fish and 10 minutes to boil some noodles. I did all of it at once, and so I cooked a full healthy meal in 10-15 minutes max.

3. And it is not irony that the GOP didn't want to ban junk food in schools. Why? Because junk food is paid for with our own money. If a kid wants to buy a Coke from the machine, he puts his own money in there and buys it. However, with food stamps, people get kind of pissed off that they use our tax dollars when they are so poor they can't even afford food to buy Ding Dongs and drink Yoohoos.

It's pretty rare that I agree with a republican, but I applaud this guy.

i dunno about tennessee, but in some states you can buy tobacco, booze, and even gamble with food stamps. that'd probably be a better place to start than junk food.

and beware mr. republican rep, the mistress of socialism, mrs. Michelle Obama would probably agree with this position you're taking. You have been warned..

Jimn_tonic

Seriously this..  going after low income families isn't the best first step on a road to recovery. 

my sister works at gas station on the weekend for extra money. she says every Saturday this woman brings her 5 kids in buys ice cream, candy bars, chips  

kinda find it a joke...

k2theswiss

I have always thought that convience stores/gas stations should have been the last place food stamps should be allowed to be used. 

[QUOTE="JohnF111"]Healthy food doesn't always cost more, I managed to make 3 meals a day for £10 in total. And cooking? Most healthy food is best served raw and only needs washed and prepared, not fried in fat for 20 minutes destroying all traces of the already annihilated nutrition.Diablo-B

As someone who lives alone and buys his own groceries (except when I raid my mom's fridge) I can assure you that healthy all natural food costs more than junk food and soft drinks.

ur just bad at buying/making food

[QUOTE="Jimn_tonic"]

i dunno about tennessee, but in some states you can buy tobacco, booze, and even gamble with food stamps. that'd probably be a better place to start than junk food.

and beware mr. republican rep, the mistress of socialism, mrs. Michelle Obama would probably agree with this position you're taking. You have been warned..

ReadingRainbow4

Seriously this..  going after low income families isn't the best first step on a road to recovery. 

£JohnF111

This thing is only going to divert about 2.7% of all annual SNAP expenditures, so I doubt it will really affect the recipients that much.

i dunno about tennessee, but in some states you can buy tobacco, booze, and even gamble with food stamps. that'd probably be a better place to start than junk food.

and beware mr. republican rep, the mistress of socialism, mrs. Michelle Obama would probably agree with this position you're taking. You have been warned..

Jimn_tonic

[QUOTE="JohnF111"]£NationProtector

Roe's bill would make the SNAP program adhere to the same standards that the Women Infant and Children (WIC) program puts on food purchases. OP

I could care less abouy hypocrisy.  As long as the final result is good, then by all means.  It's not like these people cant buy junk food.  They just cant buy it with government subsidies.

[QUOTE="Diablo-B"]

[QUOTE="JohnF111"]Healthy food doesn't always cost more, I managed to make 3 meals a day for £10 in total. And cooking? Most healthy food is best served raw and only needs washed and prepared, not fried in fat for 20 minutes destroying all traces of the already annihilated nutrition.coolbeans90

As someone who lives alone and buys his own groceries (except when I raid my mom's fridge) I can assure you that healthy all natural food costs more than junk food and soft drinks.

ur just bad at buying/making food

[QUOTE="coolbeans90"]

[QUOTE="Diablo-B"]

As someone who lives alone and buys his own groceries (except when I raid my mom's fridge) I can assure you that healthy all natural food costs more than junk food and soft drinks.

mattbbpl

ur just bad at buying/making food

I think we can all agree that things like hot pockets, frozen burritos, and canned chili qualify as junk food. And you're right, you can prepare meals for less than those options, generally. However, a lot of "junk" food comes in the form of cheaper base ingredients or staples.

Things like base starches (particularly bleached ones like white bread/flour, pasta, and white rice, but also things like potatoes) cost pennies per pound, which is far less than the whole fruits and vegetables we envision when talking about such matters. Processed garbage like Velveta cheese is significantly cheaper than it's more traditional brethren (and has a longer shelf life to boot).

You can buy a bad meal for more than a budget oriented healthy meal, but it's also very easy to buy a budget oriented bad meal for much less than a comparable budget oriented healthy meal - particularly in urban areas where produce carries a premium.

Congress isn't banning white rice, flour, pasta, potatoes, or white bread (wheat bread costs the same, so it's weird that you even bring it up), and having a non-excessive amount of starch in your diet isn't going to kill you, and Velveta isn't a staple, so that is all pretty much a red herring.

The urban areas thing may have a point. That said, I'm spending something like 30$ a week on food w/o doing the junk food thing and it is absurdly easy.

gas station like normal people.mattbbpl

Normal people don't grocery shop at gas stations, and poor people definitely do not for the bulk of their diet b/c price increase incurred for convenience.

I have noticed that people get more out of their food if they put more into it, and this includes selection (paying attention to what you are putting into yourself) and prep, and the sh!t that is low effort tends to be pretty sh!t for you OR taste bad.

But it is really fvcking easy to buy a decent diet cheaply.

I think that education to a major extent the issue.

[QUOTE="Jimn_tonic"]

i dunno about tennessee, but in some states you can buy tobacco, booze, and even gamble with food stamps. that'd probably be a better place to start than junk food.

and beware mr. republican rep, the mistress of socialism, mrs. Michelle Obama would probably agree with this position you're taking. You have been warned..

danjammer69

[QUOTE="JohnF111"]Healthy food doesn't always cost more, I managed to make 3 meals a day for £10 in total. And cooking? Most healthy food is best served raw and only needs washed and prepared, not fried in fat for 20 minutes destroying all traces of the already annihilated nutrition.Diablo-B

As someone who lives alone and buys his own groceries (except when I raid my mom's fridge) I can assure you that healthy all natural food costs more than junk food and soft drinks.

[QUOTE="Diablo-B"]

[QUOTE="JohnF111"]Healthy food doesn't always cost more, I managed to make 3 meals a day for £10 in total. And cooking? Most healthy food is best served raw and only needs washed and prepared, not fried in fat for 20 minutes destroying all traces of the already annihilated nutrition.comp_atkins

As someone who lives alone and buys his own groceries (except when I raid my mom's fridge) I can assure you that healthy all natural food costs more than junk food and soft drinks.

Hell, look at rice for instance:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value-Long-Grain-Enriched-Rice-10-lb/10315399

16000 calories worth of food (100 servings) for $6.  You aren't going to find much cheaper food than that.

[QUOTE="comp_atkins"][QUOTE="Diablo-B"]

As someone who lives alone and buys his own groceries (except when I raid my mom's fridge) I can assure you that healthy all natural food costs more than junk food and soft drinks.

Renevent42

Hell, look at rice for instance:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value-Long-Grain-Enriched-Rice-10-lb/10315399

16000 calories worth of food (100 servings) for $6.  You aren't going to find much cheaper food than that.