As with most of you, I can see the pros and the cons. I like the idea that our tax money will be used to buy products grown or produced by American companies rather than having them spent on stuff produced in South American or China. Plus, there is a part of me that thinks that someone who isn't paying for their own groceries maybe shouldn't have all the same choices as those who are. On the other hand, as Yvonne points out, not everyone eats the same things or prepares meals in the same way, so there would be unused foods. Of course, we already have surpluses that are wasted, and maybe people could trade stuff they don't like for stuff they like, and it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing if people were encouraged to learn to cook rice or bake bread. We also have "Meals on Wheels" here, but that would be in addition to the EBT cards, for those who quality, I think, rather than a replacement. We also have a program called "Meals for Me," which I think is a state programs, "ME" being the abbreviation for Maine. "Meals for Me" offers regular meals a the cafeteria of our local hospital. I don't participate in it, so I don't know much about it. I don't know if they serve the regular cafeteria food or if they are just using the cafeteria space. Our hospital no longer offers inpatient care for more than a few days, so it has a bigger cafeteria than it needs. That too, I think is separate from the EBT cards, so some people probably qualify for both, and there are probably people taking advantage of all three programs.
I know nothing about food stamps, I never pay attention to how people pay at the supermarket. But @Ken Anderson I don't think white bread and white rice is very healthy....I doubt the boxes would have the more expensive flours or even brown rice. I'm pretty sure white rice and bread isn't very good for diabetics. I see the boxes as being more of a problem than the food stamps...but that's just my opinion. I would maybe just put some items on a list you can't buy with food stamps...like alcohol, cigarettes, lobster...things like that. Maybe there already is a list like that...don't know.
I don’t know about other countries, but we seem to be a very wasteful nation, and partially due to the heath laws that we have, a lot of really good food gets thrown in the trash each day. This really makes me angry , because it seems totally unnecessary ! I shop at Kroger mostly, because it has always been the closest store to where we live, although now, we have the new Walmart neighborhood Market, which is even closer. One of the things that I like about Kroger is that they will mark down produce, and other foods that are close to expiration date, and sell them at half-price or less. This is where I do a lot of my shopping, because my grocery allowance goes further, and we eat a lot of fresh foods. However, the food that reaches the expiration date and is not sold, could and should be donated to shelters or food banks and handed out to needy people. Some stores and also restaurants to actually do this, but many stores just throw good food in the trash. I can see this for fresh fruits or veggies that are starting to go bad, but a lot of the foods that they throw in the trash are still perfectly fine, and most of the food banks would be happy to pick up the out-of-date foods. Sadly, so many people would rather eat food because it tastes good or is easy to prepare, as opposed to eating food that is actually healthy for their bodies, and the children grow up being used to mostly snack foods, soda pop, and take-out and they never really learn to cook or enjoy eating healthy real food.
I think that you are totally correct, @Chrissy Cross , and that is pretty much what I have been trying to say also. As far as regulations on what can be bought with EBT, there are some regulations, but I think that there should be more of some and less of others. Obviously, you can only buy food items, and alcohol or cigarettes is not allowed. Any hot/prepared food is not allowed , but once that food is cold, then it is allowed. (this would be like the rotisserie chicken, or other deli foods.) This never really made sense to me. Sometimes the store would mark down the rotisserie chicken; but if it was hot still then we could not buy it with the EBT, but once it was cold, we could. Same food. I have heard the stories about people buying lobster with food stamps; but I doubt that this is actually a very big issue. Most of the time, you can barely buy enough food for the month, even when you stick to basics. I get just over $150 per month, which is less than $40 per week to spend on groceries. Since we live in the poorest part of town, I probably see more EBT shoppers here than you would see in a nice neighborhood, Chrissy. By careful shopping, we can eat healthy foods; but there is nothing left over for snack foods or unnecessary items. Buying two lobsters would use up most of our food budget for that week; so things like that are never even a consideration. The other side of that, is that buying any kind of vitamin or supplement is not allowed either; so our protein drinks (even though they are actually food that we eat) can not be purchased with EBT. So, if we want soda or candy bars, that is fine; but if we want protein drinks or health food bars, then that is not allowable. Does this make any sense at all ?
I'm thinking if I was on food stamps, I'd be pretty upset getting a box of things I don't use or want...it's not going to work. So, that's my final answer. I just don't know enough about the subject. On my widows benefits I pay for my utilities, car insurance and things like AT&T, ADT security, Pest control, Verizon, lawn care and all the rest goes for food...don't know how much I spend on food..probably more than I should. I never shop for a week but go out almost every day and spend anywhere from $10- $50...but the $50 is rare and usually after Ive come home to an empty fridge after a trip. I do buy things when on sale though. We do have some marked down bins at Safeway but they never carry anything I want which would be veggies....mostly cereals and other things like candy etc in there.
Also, don't forget many seniors are on some sort of restricted diet....would they accomadate that in the boxes?
From what I just read, Meals On Wheels cost: $6 for a daily main meal, $5 for a sandwich meal or either can be paid for with Food Stamps. Somewhere in the U.S., a retired man got his Meals On Wheels suspended because he owed to much money to continue getting them.
As I always say, money is the key to everything past and present. Doesn’t make any difference who can or can’t afford things they really need. Just the way it’s been and will continue to be.
All I have heard is about 50% boxed goods mainly canned items and the rest of the allotment on card for some choice still there will be some restricted items and should be, this will cut down very little on the fraud of selling your monthly allotment for a reduced cash amount.
I don't understand why folks couldn't order the food boxes custom, just like Kroger has the click and pick thing using a phone or computer. It doesn't make sense to give every one the same food, as many people have health issues or dislikes that should be accommodated and giving cheese to people who have a dairy allergy high carb items to a diabetic. Standing orders of items that people would use--some people like to cook from scratch while others don't or cannot. If a food box of staples could be ordered--weekly or on a standing order--it would fill a need without being wasteful. In a local city, a semi trailer of expired food goes to the landfill from the central food bank every week, with mostly "expired" dairy products and over ripe produce. Some livestock owners manage to fill their pickups with expired products on a weekly basis, but most of the food gets dumped. Much of the waste is still good to eat, but cannot legally be fed to humans.
So far as I am aware, this has simply been floated as an option and I don't think they have given any details about how it will work. I try to avoid watching, listening to, or reading the news anymore because most of it is lies, so I could be wrong but I don't think they've released any details on this. If we are going to subsidize food expenses for people, I like the idea that it will be purchased through American growers and producers, but sending the same stuff to everyone wouldn't be without problems. It might be nice if recipients could order from a list of approved American produce or grown products, giving them some options without using tax money to buy stuff from China, Mexico, or South America.