# Should people only be allowed to purchase ingredients with food stamps? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 6, 2010, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-only-be-allowed-to-purchase-ingredients-with-food-stamps/549410 "2010-08-06T16:08:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 26
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-only-be-allowed-to-purchase-ingredients-with-food-stamps/549410/502 "2010-08-17T08:50:32Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Caviar is a waste of money. I know it always pisses _me_ off when the woman in front of me in the checkout line uses her EBT to pay for caviar. :rolleyes: Seriously, caviar? How often have you seen this happen? I think that since so many people have pointed out the error in your ‘no need for steak, seafood or aged cheese’ statement (which you’ve never retracted, or clarified, in spite of numerous questions about it), you felt compelled to ‘up the ante’ to something as ridiculous as caviar. You know what? I used to regularly shop at a supermarket that sold lots of specialty meat items like buffalo, elk, wild boar, etc. As you may guess, these meats were _very_ expensive. I’m sure there were customers who bought them occasionally, but I never did, and I certainly never saw anyone try to buy them with EBT! ---
**Author:** ![theR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@theR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/theR)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-only-be-allowed-to-purchase-ingredients-with-food-stamps/549410/503 "2010-08-17T13:54:36Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > > [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > > > So which is it? Should people on food stamps buy the cheapest nutritional sawdust on the market, or should they buy the expensive, nurtritionally dense food? You appear to blame them if they do either, which is why I think you just have a thing against poor people. > > Ah, the question I’ve been asking all along! To which, when he finally replied, said “price per pound” repeatedly, and then wouldn’t answer when I asked him how he justified that with his rage _against_ ‘nutritional sawdust’ and his assertion that poor people _never_ need to buy steak, seafood or aged cheese, I would assume that would hold true even if the steak, seafood or cheese were _below_ his proposed price per pound, but he never clarified. In case nobody posted it, but somewhat related: [The rising disparity in the price of healthful foods](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VCB-50H1HM5-1&_user=10&_coverDate=07%2F10%2F2010&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=976761b3d609cc04ad97cb9153a7a899) > [@](#): > > Nutrient-dense foods that are associated with better health outcomes tend to cost more per kilocalorie (kcal) than do refined grains, sweets and fats. The price disparity between healthful and less healthful foods appears to be growing. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-only-be-allowed-to-purchase-ingredients-with-food-stamps/549410/504 "2010-08-17T14:21:33Z")
How far will you take this? Can I buy Ben & Jerry’s or Starbucks ice cream, or am I limited to the store brand. What if the premium ice cream is on sale for less than the store brand, and I have a coupon? Happened that way last week–I got four pints of B&J and four pints of Starbucks for $9.84! This week I bough four packages of the $1.00 sugar free drink mix. Someone in the checkout line said I should use my EBT for food and drink water. She was buying Coca-Cola. Are food stamps used to make the users feel equal to the other paying customers, or to remind them every freaking supermarket visit that they are an inferior class of poor people? ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-only-be-allowed-to-purchase-ingredients-with-food-stamps/549410/505 "2010-08-17T14:37:29Z")
> [@](#): > > Annie-xmas]This week I bough four packages of the $1.00 sugar free drink mix. Well, y’know, since artificial sweeteners (like in the sugar-free drink mixes) are far less voluminous than sugar, I’m _certain_ this purchase exceeded the ‘price per pound’ rule. From now on, please stick to regular Kool-Aid, far more cost-effective on a price-per-pound basis! 😛 The ice cream, however, was probably acceptable since it was on sale, you had a coupon, and it was _not_ steak, truffles, seafood, aged cheese or caviar! 😉 Oh, or Cheetos. Hey, this game is fun. I hope the feds set up a system and put _me_ in charge! ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-only-be-allowed-to-purchase-ingredients-with-food-stamps/549410/506 "2010-08-17T14:41:41Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > This week I bough four packages of the $1.00 sugar free drink mix. Someone in the checkout line said I should use my EBT for food and drink water. She was buying Coca-Cola. How would anyone in line even know you were using EBT? It is between you and the debit machine. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-only-be-allowed-to-purchase-ingredients-with-food-stamps/549410/507 "2010-08-17T14:42:49Z")
No problem. Each store should have a working person who pays taxes to escort the unwashed poor around the store providing them with their superior knowledge of food. People who are employed all eat properly and don’t have weight problems. They are knowledgeable about nutrition and can impart great wisdom to the ignorant poor. There should be a person at every check out counter with the authority to reject the food decisions of the poor. No soup for you. I am sure every poor person would appreciate the arcane decision making abilities of those who are just better than them. This board has a lot of insulting arrogant jerks on it. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-only-be-allowed-to-purchase-ingredients-with-food-stamps/549410/508 "2010-08-17T14:49:32Z")
> [@julius blaze](#): > > > [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > > > This week I bough four packages of the $1.00 sugar free drink mix. Someone in the checkout line said I should use my EBT for food and drink water. She was buying Coca-Cola. > > How would anyone in line even know you were using EBT? It is between you and the debit machine. She noticed it when I was putting the card back into my wallet. > [@gonzomax](#): > > No problem. Each store should have a working person who pays taxes to escort the unwashed poor around the store providing them with their superior knowledge of food. People who are employed all eat properly and don’t have weight problems. They are knowledgeable about nutrition and can impart great wisdom to the ignorant poor. > There should be a person at every check out counter with the authority to reject the food decisions of the poor. No soup for you. I am sure every poor person would appreciate the arcane decision making abilities of those who are just better than them. > This board has a lot of insulting arrogant jerks on it. Agreed. It’s funny–when I had the cast on my arm and was asking people to help me by putting food items into my basket, nobody commented on my choices. If you’re injured, ice cream and sugared cereals are okay; if you’re poor, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-only-be-allowed-to-purchase-ingredients-with-food-stamps/549410/509 "2010-08-17T14:54:20Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > No problem. Each store should have a working person who pays taxes to escort the unwashed poor around the store providing them with their superior knowledge of food. People who are employed all eat properly and don’t have weight problems. They are knowledgeable about nutrition and can impart great wisdom to the ignorant poor. > There should be a person at every check out counter with the authority to reject the food decisions of the poor. No soup for you. I am sure every poor person would appreciate the arcane decision making abilities of those who are just better than them. > This board has a lot of insulting arrogant jerks on it. Another rerun of post [#143](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12776946&postcount=143)? It wasn’t especially clever or funny the first time you trotted it out and now you’re repeating it? I know it’s useless to try to reason with you, but the majority of time that someone in this thread has insinuated that poor people are stupid/ignorant/just doesn’t know better it has been the people who say that nobody should even question the poor person’s choices. So really, the chip on your shoulder is causing you not to be able to see anything here past your own biased view ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-only-be-allowed-to-purchase-ingredients-with-food-stamps/549410/510 "2010-08-17T15:34:11Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > > [@Magiver](#): > > > > Caviar is a waste of money. > > I know it always pisses _me_ off when the woman in front of me in the checkout line uses her EBT to pay for caviar. :rolleyes: I used caviar as an obvious visual cue for a poor choice of nutritional dollars spent. If the data suggested that tax money used to feed the poor was poorly spent do you see a value in structuring the purchase process to ensure it achieves the goal of feeding people? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-only-be-allowed-to-purchase-ingredients-with-food-stamps/549410/511 "2010-08-17T16:44:21Z")
I don’t remember being in a grocery store that even sold caviar. I think the most “exotic” thing we sold were chicken livers. (And god, do those things STINK) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-only-be-allowed-to-purchase-ingredients-with-food-stamps/549410/512 "2010-08-17T16:47:36Z")
I’ve bought caviar. It is actually dollars well spent IMHO. A dollop on a crystal dish makes a stunning appetizer/centerpiece. Used as a decoration/garnish when making different makis or other sushi, a little goes a long way. And while certain types are pricey, many of the more pedestrian types aren’t expensive. No, I have never received food stamps. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-only-be-allowed-to-purchase-ingredients-with-food-stamps/549410/513 "2010-08-17T17:06:51Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > If the data suggested that tax money used to feed the poor was poorly spent do you see a value in structuring the purchase process to ensure it achieves the goal of feeding people? Let me turn this question around a little bit: as I’ve mentioned, my husband is a federal employee, therefore, in essence, your tax dollars are buying _my_ groceries, too. How much say should you have over whether _my_ choices are healthy? (Hint: sometimes they are, sometimes they’re not; sometimes I even use _your_ tax money to go out to a fairly nice restaurant and eat steak and seafood. Is that wrong? If not, why not? But I do believe there could be value in offering education about nutrition and smart shopping choices for anyone who wants the education. Obviously, for the underprivileged, I’d be in favor of this information being provided free, and being taken to the ‘student’, as many of the people around here on EBT don’t have access to transportation on a regular basis. Around here, where welfare benefits are common because unemployment is rampant, the schools try their best to teach nutrition _to the kids_, which is probably the best way to go. The folks who have been shopping and cooking the way they have for years are harder to turn around. The school my daughter attends features such things on their lunch menus as whole grain, school-baked bread, always have a fresh fruit and salad bar with lunch, and grill or bake instead of frying most of their foods. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-only-be-allowed-to-purchase-ingredients-with-food-stamps/549410/514 "2010-08-17T17:31:11Z")
I’ve never had caviar myself, so I wouldn’t know. I’ve also suggested newsletters being sent out monthly with money saving tips, nutrition info, and perhaps a voucher to subscribe to the local paper. (Since the Sunday editions usually have all the coupons). (Oh, and btw, **Magiver** , do you have any idea how _cheap_ cheez doodles are? Price per pound indeed!) :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-only-be-allowed-to-purchase-ingredients-with-food-stamps/549410/515 "2010-08-17T18:13:53Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > > [@julius blaze](#): > > > > How would anyone in line even know you were using EBT? It is between you and the debit machine. > > She noticed it when I was putting the card back into my wallet. Just…unbelievable. What a nosy jerk. I hope you realize, this is only someone who wants to lord their status over you to feel better about themselves due to insecurity, there is about a 0% chance she actually cares about how the poor spend their public assistance. I worked in grocery for two years, and you wouldn’t believe how some people seemingly go to the grocery store only to be abusive to the workers, or other customers. It’s just bizarre.:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![misterW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@misterW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/misterW)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-only-be-allowed-to-purchase-ingredients-with-food-stamps/549410/516 "2010-08-17T20:55:53Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > Magiver et al., > > How does a food stamp recipient spending buying $100 worth of Ho-Ho’s cost the tax payer any more than his spending $100 on chicken, broccoli and potatoes? Society shares the burden of dealing with costs from health problems brought on by the ho-ho diet as well as costs of dealing with the health problems of obese kids raised on the ho-ho diet, who end up with no concept of how to eat healthy or cook for themselves. > [@](#): > > In both cases the tax payer is out $100. Now we all agree that the recipient would be better off and healthier not buying the ho-ho’s, but the same is true of anyone else, and I assume that you don’t want the government restricting the diet choices of the population in general. You are right – I wouldn’t. But it is clearly not the same. Suppose I have a friend named Joe. If Joe has an odd habit of tearing up a 100$ bill every couple of weeks, then I will think him to be foolish, but it’s his choice, right? If Joel approaches me complaining of difficulties in getting enough food to feed himself and his kids, and I give him 100$, and then find out he’s been tearing up the money I give him, I would be upset. I wouldn’t want to continue giving him money. If Joe argues that once I give him the money, it is his, and he can do what he wants with it, that argument is not likely to win me over. If Joe argues that I am also free to tear up **my** money, so why should I care if he tears up his…well, that wouldn’t win me over either. Would you feel differently? ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-only-be-allowed-to-purchase-ingredients-with-food-stamps/549410/517 "2010-08-17T21:43:50Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > (Oh, and btw, **Magiver** , do you have any idea how _cheap_ cheez doodles are? Price per pound indeed!) :rolleyes: I know this was directed specifically at one poster, but Costo pricing aside, my local grocery sells cheese doodles (whichever generic brand you want to refer to) for something like $2.49/7oz, and on sale for maybe $2/7oz. So even at the cheapest, that comes out to $4.57 per pound. That’s not cheap, in my opinion. Especially when I can get a bag of popcorn kernels (16oz) for $2.00, that makes buckets of popped corn. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-only-be-allowed-to-purchase-ingredients-with-food-stamps/549410/518 "2010-08-18T00:57:10Z")
> [@theR](#): > > In case nobody posted it, but somewhat related: [The rising disparity in the price of healthful foods](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VCB-50H1HM5-1&_user=10&_coverDate=07%2F10%2F2010&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=976761b3d609cc04ad97cb9153a7a899) > > > [@](#): > > > > Nutrient-dense foods that are associated with better health outcomes tend to cost more per kilocalorie… I think everyone is aware of this, and I myself mentioned that government subsidies of corn contribute to it. I’ll repeat: the economics and means of production of food in the U.S. are extremely complex, and I think many of the viewpoints in this thread will remain irreconcilable until the mission of the EBT program is more clearly defined. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-only-be-allowed-to-purchase-ingredients-with-food-stamps/549410/519 "2010-08-18T01:03:57Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > > [@Guinastasia](#): > > > > (Oh, and btw, **Magiver** , do you have any idea how _cheap_ cheez doodles are? Price per pound indeed!) :rolleyes: > > I know this was directed specifically at one poster, but Costo pricing aside, my local grocery sells cheese doodles (whichever generic brand you want to refer to) for something like $2.49/7oz, and on sale for maybe $2/7oz. So even at the cheapest, that comes out to $4.57 per pound. That’s not cheap, in my opinion. Especially when I can get a bag of popcorn kernels (16oz) for $2.00, that makes buckets of popped corn. Hmmm, well I admit I haven’t bought them in ages. But I guess my point is that people buying a snack or two isn’t going to bankrupt the country, as **Magiver** is going on and on about California’s budget. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-only-be-allowed-to-purchase-ingredients-with-food-stamps/549410/520 "2010-08-18T02:52:55Z")
> [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](#): > > > [@gonzomax](#): > > > > No problem. Each store should have a working person who pays taxes to escort the unwashed poor around the store providing them with their superior knowledge of food. People who are employed all eat properly and don’t have weight problems. They are knowledgeable about nutrition and can impart great wisdom to the ignorant poor. > > There should be a person at every check out counter with the authority to reject the food decisions of the poor. No soup for you. I am sure every poor person would appreciate the arcane decision making abilities of those who are just better than them. > > This board has a lot of insulting arrogant jerks on it. > > Another rerun of post [#143](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12776946&postcount=143)? It wasn’t especially clever or funny the first time you trotted it out and now you’re repeating it? > > I know it’s useless to try to reason with you, but the majority of time that someone in this thread has insinuated that poor people are stupid/ignorant/just doesn’t know better it has been the people who say that nobody should even question the poor person’s choices. So really, the chip on your shoulder is causing you not to be able to see anything here past your own biased view Really. Are you saying you don’t see the condescending attitude toward the poor in this thread?. That is stunning. You should reread the whole thing or have one of your kids read it to you. It is blatant. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-only-be-allowed-to-purchase-ingredients-with-food-stamps/549410/521 "2010-08-18T03:08:06Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > Let me turn this question around a little bit: as I’ve mentioned, my husband is a federal employee, therefore, in essence, your tax dollars are buying _my_ groceries, too. How much say should you have over whether _my_ choices are healthy? (Hint: sometimes they are, sometimes they’re not; sometimes I even use _your_ tax money to go out to a fairly nice restaurant and eat steak and seafood. Is that wrong? If not, why not? The comparison to a federal employee makes no sense. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-only-be-allowed-to-purchase-ingredients-with-food-stamps/549410.md?page=25) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-only-be-allowed-to-purchase-ingredients-with-food-stamps/549410.md?page=27)