Members of the Texas Senate are looking at legislation to restrict the use of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits from being used to purchase junk food. Opposing that effort is the American Heart Association, claiming such restrictions could cause people to just not participate in the program.
Yesterday, we asked readers what they thought about taxpayers subsidizing the purchase of unhealthy snack foods.
Here is a sampling of the responses we received from folks on the topic.
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“SNAP is supposed to be ‘nutritional assistance.’ Many of the snack foods are nothing but addictive junk that lead to terrie outcomes. We already have an epidemic of obesity and diabetes in this country. Why pour gasoline on that fire?” – Deborah Wilkey
“Stop the subsidies for unhealthy foods, but do so with the aim of abolishing SNAP. Food banks are a charity function, not a government responsibility.” – Chris Breaux
“As a family who receives SNAP I agree that it should only be used for actual food and not junk food. But I do hesitate only in the fact that doing this will give the government more control. I do know that lots of people on SNAP will use it for all kinds of junk they should not.” – Stacia Hebert
“Eat what you like, but don’t expect me to pay for it.” – John Makow
“Grocery items eligible for ‘food stamps,’ as we used to call them, were once limited to staples such as cheese, butter, rice, milk, flour, etc. Eligible items were labeled as such. As a kid in the 70’s in rural Vermont, I remember asking my mom in the grocery store what the label meant. Great idea to reapply such restrictions.” – Michelle Marceau
“I do not in favor of any government entity being part of the ‘Nanny State.’ People need to be responsible for themselves.” – Mathew Howard
“Why should my tax dollars pay for more sickness and disease?” – Heather Gill
“I volunteered at the Houston food bank a few years back. We worked an assembly line putting ‘food’ into bags for distribution. A lot of what we had for the bags was candy, chips and various snack foods donated because they were overstock. SNAP doesn’t need to provide junk food, the food banks have that covered.” – David Holden
“Long ago, when I was a WIC participant, I appreciated that the grocery help they gave had to be spent on certain healthy items. I don’t think it’s a problem to regulate how a subsidy is spent.” – Sally Tutor
“I work in a grocery store, and you would not believe the amount of absolute junk purchased with the Lone Star card. No wonder poor people are so fat. Of course, the junk food industry fully supports subsidizing this unhealthy nonsense.” – Forrest Parker
“The key word is nutrition, but the number one item purchased is carbonated beverages.” – Randy Schroder
“SNAP should be regulated to the basics. Meat, dairy, vegetables, fruits, flour, shortening, sugar, seasonings, and bread. Keep it simple.” – Laura McGee
“If the American Heart Association opposes the effort to restrict SNAP then I am in favor of restricting SNAP.” – Curtis Simpson
“I do not know when this was changed. When I was a cashier in the 80’s NO food like that was allowed.” – Karen Burnam
“Let ‘em buy junk food with their money, not our taxes.” – Bob Davis
