https://www.fna.usda.gov/snap/...aurant-meals-program

I have enough problems with non-nutritious soft drinks and snacks, but I never heard of this! I have not researched this - anyone else know of it?

Fast-food chains across America have raked in at least $524 million in taxpayer funds through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the past three years, according to estimates from a group of lawmakers.

While government-subsidized SNAP benefits are intended for at-home food and beverage consumption by low-income Americans, states like New York and California have expanded their Restaurant Meals Program (RMP) to allow beneficiaries to indulge at places like Subway, McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, KFC, and Dairy Queen.

“SNAP is intended to feed hungry families with nutritious food, but loopholes have funneled half-a-billion dollars to burgers and fries,” said US Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who is leading a group of eight lawmakers urging Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to revisit the program.

That's bullshit

Thankfully, not a thing in Arkansas.

And Arkansas also recently tightened down on Snap eligible products even further, disallowing junk food like candy, soda, energy drinks, and "juice" with less than 50% actual juice content. (Could go a bit further and be more like WIC with its limited healthy options, but it's a good start.)

You also have to provide ongoing proof of employment, job training, or education, unless disabled, responsible for childcare of young dependants, or 65+.

I think that strikes a very fair middle ground, allowing assistance for the "working poor" but not for the freeloaders.

Texas has sane restrictions on SNAP benefits such as no fast food.

On the plus side, Texas does not allow SNAP recipients to buy crap (Candy bars, gum, taffy, candy coating something normally healthy, sodas, sports drinks, or energy drinks) with taxpayer money. That is how I want the gov't to manage taxpayer money.

On the negative side, it takes FOREVER if the person in front of you is paying in SNAP as their cart is typically half full of banned items so they're pulling money out of their bra, socks, phoning a friend, electing not to buy items, etc.

One excuse to start this was that lots of people who need snap may not have a kitchen to cook food nor a refrigerator to keep it.

Papa Murphy's Restaurant (basically a Dominos or Pizza Hut) specializes in selling you an uncooked pizza (SNAP eligible), then offering to cook it for you. I'm sure there are many such loopholes. They get away with it in Texas, too.

quote:

Originally posted by Vgex:
Papa Murphy's Restaurant (basically a Dominos or Pizza Hut) specializes in selling you an uncooked pizza (SNAP eligible), then offering to cook it for you. I'm sure there are many such loopholes. They get away with it in Texas, too.

None of the Papa Murphys here even have ovens. They're strictly a take and bake joint. Uncooked pizza only.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
None of the Papa Murphys here have ovens. They're strictly a take and bake joint.

Perhaps I stumbled upon a specialty joint or two.

Yeah, it's total fucking bull shit. Seems to be a little restricted here in VA. But the kiosk at Sheetz and WaWa clearly show the made to order food you can use it for. Yes, there is a legitimate need for assistance. But if we argue they are starving or malnourished then they should be receiving basic, whole grocery store staples period.

But I also clearly once witnessed a meth-head looking couple clean out the $3 protein bar section at Sheetz and a shit load of other unnecessary garbage that I can not afford then whip out the tax payer card... I would not be surprised they end up at some bodega.

But, were probably screwed in this respect... Just like Home Depot got to stay open during the planeddemic but my favorite local restaurant and the guitar store and others were forced to close... These convenience stores have shit loads of cash to spend on lawyers, lobbyist etc. Probably just a simple investment equation to them, like advertising.

Most convenience stores don’t have deep pockets to lobby. But, the companies that push the sugary drinks, and junk food do.

I have yet to see anyone malnourished using EBT and most are dressed very well and are driving a newer bmw Mercedes or Tesla.

quote:

Originally posted by BoatsNbullets:
I have yet to see anyone malnourished using EBT and most are dressed very well and are driving a newer bmw Mercedes or Tesla.

The last time I was at the supermarket behind someone paying with EBT it was lunch hour. It was a 20-something couple who had obviously both just left the gym, were walking billboards for a brand of athletic wear (same brand shoes, shorts, and shirts), were wearing actual iPods, getting their dopamine fix from their iPhones, and were purchasing name brand post-workout food and drinks. Apparently, some of it wasn't allowed for EBT so they began digging for debit cards and that's when I saw the Mercedes logo on the keyfob.

I'm dressed to work at the office of a Fortune 500 company, and I'm on my lunch break. I'd wager that everything I was wearing cost less than his shoes, on the checkout conveyor belt was all store brand goods (i.e. not name brand), and in my pocket are the keys to my 10 year old Nissan Frontier.

^^^ Yeah, when the standard of living of welfare recipients approaches that of those paying the bills, you know we’ve got a problem.

The snap recipient’s I see are typically driving their fat asses around the store in an electric cart talking on they $1k iPhone.