The store I work for has for many years now offered all SNAP recipients a 10% discount on all fresh fruits and vegetables. As soon as they swipe their EBT card the register makes the deductions. That’s over and above any sales going on, any coupons, etc. Which strikes me as a nice carrot (unintended pun) as opposed to the administration’s usual stick.
But what Wormbrain means by his babbling? Fuck if I know. We can sell whole apples but not apple slices? No more sliced deli cheese, only blocks allowed? No more ground meat - you have to buy an intact cow?
Stores that accept SNAP are required to have specific food items in stock. For example, at least 3 different kinds of fruit and at least 2 pieces of each kind. I’ll see if I can find the list (here it is), but it covers quite a bit of stuff and we even get a surprise audit from time to time. This is why you’ll often see a basket of crappy, over ripe fruit sitting on the counter at a gas station. No one’s going to the gas station to buy an apple, but they need to have it on hand so they can accept SNAP.
Anyways, my WAG is that it’s somehow related to that. Maybe he meant ‘whole fruit’ or maybe ‘whole grain food’, but I think that’s down at the small end of his new food pyramid. Maybe he meant whole food as opposed to processed/junk food and he’s just planning to double the amount of food SNAP requires us to keep on hand? I don’t know, but remember that if they make the requirements too hard, all it’s going to do is make small stores and gas stations unable to accept SNAP. While that doesn’t sound like a big deal in the grand scheme of things, think about how many people aren’t going to be able to buy milk at the gas station or pick up some cereal at the tiny corner store half a block away from their home.
That’s the way it reads and if that’s what he meant he’s a fucking idiot.
I’m envisioning two meat cases, two dairy aisles, two produce sections . . . and the same $6.17 per day SNAP benefit so you can’t really change your month’s shopping list if you want to get enough cheap calories to not go hungry before the month ends.
SCENE: The WhiteTrumphouse, shortly before the food pyramid scheme is announced
Donald “Minderbinder” Trump: Bobby, I want you to do something for me. removes item from small bag Donald “Minderbinder” Trump: I want to serve this to America. Taste it and let me know what you think. Bobby “Yossarian” Kennedy takes a bite Bobby “Yossarian” Kennedy: What is it? Donald “Minderbinder” Trump: Beef tallow covered in beef. Bobby “Yossarian” Kennedy: What are you, crazy? Donald “Minderbinder” Trump: No good, huh? Bobby “Yossarian” Kennedy: For Christ’s sake, who can afford beef! Donald “Minderbinder” Trump: Is it really that bad? Bobby “Yossarian” Kennedy: It’s tallow! Donald “Minderbinder” Trump: They’ve got to learn to like it! Bobby “Yossarian” Kennedy: Why? Donald “Minderbinder” Trump: Look, I saw this great opportunity to corner the market in Argentinian American beef. I’ve got a hundred warehouses stacked with the stuff all over South America America. I can’t get rid of a $TRUMP’s worth. People eat butter, don’t they? Well this stuff is better - it’s made out of real beef. Bobby “Yossarian” Kennedy: Donny, people can’t afford beef! Donald “Minderbinder” Trump: They’ve got to - it’s for America America!
It means they still don’t understand how sales and capitalism actually work. It doesn’t matter what the store puts on the shelves, if people fundamentally don’t want to buy it. If people were willing to buy “twice as much whole food”, they’d be doing that already, and the stores would stock their shelves accordingly.
This is the same mistake Trump keeps making with trade deals. Just because China or Canada says they’ll allow people the option of buying more US products without tariffs, that doesn’t mean anything if the people doing the buying just decide they don’t want the US products.
There is a Wikipedia article on the topic (sparse it might be).
Generally, it is food processed as little as possible with no additives.
The British Heart Foundation (which sounds like what would happen in the WWF if the British Bulldog joined the Hart Foundation back in the day) has an article on it as well.
Though they suggest moderation.
The key is balance. Don’t try to exclude all non-whole foods. Instead, include more whole foods and make healthy swaps. Be open to some nutritious processed foods in your diet. This can make it easier and more convenient to eat more healthily, helping you to be consistent over time.
I read that as “And pretty soon Snopes will get to decide.”
From Chris Garten ad:
To be fair, I’m all against bringing bureaucratic overreach and unfunded mandates disguised as “Christmas cheer”, or anything else. Things like forcing “Merry Christmas”, ten commandments displays in public schools, bibles required in public schools, etc. Somehow, I don’t blame Santa for any of that.
I wonder about how many children will see that on their parents’ screens and wonder why the bad man is kicking Santa Claus.
Wait, he’s teaching his kids to beat up Santa Claus. I would really hate to be the mall Santa they visit next.
YankeeGunner +1
So is he saying he wants to double the size of the produce section with twice the same merchandise, or by adding new products or more brands?
That means we are free to say, “Merry Protein!” again! Celibrate with the protein of your choice, be that roast whale’s head, or roadkill bear dipped in measles!
Also by requiring them to “double” the amount of whole foods they are going to be hurting those stores that are currently providing health options. A convenience store can double the amount of whole food by simply adding another bunch of bananas, but a vegetable stand would have to double their whole inventory.
Of course that isn’t really their actual policy, because they don’t have an actual policy. All they have is a bunch of sound bites that sounded good in their head but make no sense in practice.
