# Trump wants to replace food stamps with a box of processed food, everyone gets the same thing **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 13, 2018, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-replace-food-stamps-with-a-box-of-processed-food-everyone-gets-the-same-thing/808789 "2018-02-13T20:50:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-replace-food-stamps-with-a-box-of-processed-food-everyone-gets-the-same-thing/808789/141 "2019-03-18T07:23:17Z")
Clearly I haven’t thought enough about it. Hmmm? I need to ruminate a bit more. I just think there’s gotta be a way. I saw something about a French Restaurateur who was opening a free or cheap lunch program with just restaurant waste. Can’t remember who. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-replace-food-stamps-with-a-box-of-processed-food-everyone-gets-the-same-thing/808789/142 "2019-03-18T08:13:49Z")
> [@Chetumal](#): > > Yah, that would be a little harsh. There should be a way to limit the everyday purchase of absolute junk, like twinkies and soda, but yet still allow folks to have the occasional treat like everyone else does. Bwuh? Maybe you haven’t noticed, but “everyone else” is eating junk, too. The difference is that “everyone else” don’t have people looking over their shoulder critiquing their food choices. > [@](#): > > Maybe devise a system where no more than x % of the SNAP funds can be used for the junk food categories of food. Don’t know if that’s feasible in reality though. Sure… if you want to devote a much higher percentage of cost to administrating the program with less going to actually feed people and a LOT of arguing about what is and isn’t junk food. Followed by more nanny-state rules and restrictions because once this starts it’s not going to stop. > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I try to worry about foodstamps, Snap, WIC and other benefits for poor children and families. But first I have to let go of my concern for the absolute waste of food in America. It is an outrage. Go to any grocery store and look behind the store for the dumpster. Take a peek. It’s just wrong. Someone needs to do something about it. I wish I could think of a way and then be able to implement a program. Do you understand that a lot of that food is in the dumpsters because of health regulations that the stores are required by law to obey? Grocery runs on a 2-4% profit margin, they wouldn’t be throwing that out if they were able to sell it. Some of it is expired food. Some of it is customers changing their minds about stuff and leaving it in random parts of the store until it warms up/cools down instead of handing it off to an employee - the store can’t put that back on the shelf, it goes in the dumpster along with anything that leaking juices have ruined. Ditto for anything “sampled” - no one wants the box missing items stolen (because it is stealing) by who knows how grubby fingers. We’ve tossed out boxes that were invaded by pests during transit - that lettuce might look wholesome but it’s got rat feces and maybe a dead rodent or two in it but sure, have at it. > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > If there was a way to get to that food before it was trashed and before is was passed the sell by date. Get it cooked up and vac-packed and frozen. Then feed to homeless and women’s shelters. Why can’t this be done? If a big company, say Wal-Mart, Costco or someone would do it they would gain so much in public relations and good will. It would be amazing. The company I work for does exactly that - they donate such food to local charities for re-distribution to the needy. We don’t “cook and vac-pack it” because the food distribution is local enough and prompt enough to not require it, especially with refrigerated trucks for the charities, which, again, my company has helped organizations acquire. Yet no one seems to hear about it. There are displays in the store about it - but I hear cynical customers go “suuuuurrrrrreee they do it. Ha.” Just like they doubt we actually recycle cardboard (don’t believe us? Someone is _paying_ us to take that off our hands, I doubt they’d be doing that if they didn’t have a use for it.) Local news outlets don’t seem to give a damn. No one seems to notice or mention it, but the company continues to do it. Yes, we probably get a bit of a tax write-off for it, but so what? Our customers who make substantial donations to charity can take a tax deduction for it, why shouldn’t we? > [@Kobal2](#): > > It’s kind of addressed in the video I linked - there’s a policy against it coming from on high. Ostensibly it’s because store chains don’t want to get sued if people get sick from the just-expired food that they toss out, although that has never happened. You say that based on… what? Nevermind the company as a whole - my individual store once had four lawsuits against it at one time. Getting sued isn’t a hypothetical, it does happen. No, stores don’t want to get sued. > [@](#): > > They could partner up with specific vetted charities & soup kitchens I suppose The company I work for does. But they can only donate foods that are otherwise sellable. Expired or contaminated food can not be donated. It can get ridiculous - we all know that a can of soup 1 day past expiration is still OK to eat, but under the regulations it’s considered poison and has to be thrown out, not sold or donated. > [@](#): > > The big difference, then, boils down to the difference between progressives and conservatives re:all welfare. Leftists don’t care if a manageable percentage of people scam off of the social safety net and mark it down as the cost of helping people who do need that help. Right wingers go red in the face at the thought of even just one Lucky Ducky getting a “free ride”, and would rather impose enormous duress on everyone on the safety net to avoid that ghastly prospect or destroy the net altogether. ^ This. ---
**Author:** ![LennieB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8dc957/32.png) [@LennieB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LennieB)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-replace-food-stamps-with-a-box-of-processed-food-everyone-gets-the-same-thing/808789/143 "2019-03-18T08:29:54Z")
Okay, now. Let’s look at what Republicans, in particular those in this Maladministration, value. Could it be… MONEY?! Someone, somewhere, is positioned to make a substantial PROFIT from providing these boxes of Dollar Store delicacies. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-replace-food-stamps-with-a-box-of-processed-food-everyone-gets-the-same-thing/808789/144 "2019-03-18T08:48:39Z")
Don’t let’s politicize this. If the big companies would all do what your company is doing that could be a great thing for everyone. I just believe more could be done. Should be done. I’m not talking about ruined or spoiled food. I’m talking about shelf pulls and seasonal stuff that just gets tossed. Why don’t they just put it somewhere inside the store and add a sign saying ‘This is free’, what’s wrong with that? The shelf would be emptied everyday. I know I’m all Pollyanna about this. I just hate waste. I recycle, reuse and repurpose so many things in my life.Just think what a big company could do. Oh, the recycling of cardboard is haphazard around here. Some stores compact it and it goes somewhere. Other stores burn it. I don’t trust that, at all. There sure is alot of cardboard in the landfill. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-replace-food-stamps-with-a-box-of-processed-food-everyone-gets-the-same-thing/808789/145 "2019-03-18T09:13:40Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > You say that based on… what? The video I linked ? That’s what the sort of clueless store manager they (well, MSNBC judging by the tag) interviewed said. John Oliver goes on to say that it’s a common misconception, but he and his team looked into it and unearthed a study by the University of Arkansas showing that “a thorough research of filings and review of reported decisions did not turn up a single case that involved food donation-related liability”. > [@](#): > > Nevermind the company as a whole - my individual store once had four lawsuits against it at one time. Getting sued isn’t a hypothetical, it does happen Oh I’m sure it does, and I \*know \*Americans are fucking weird about lawsuits, but this specifical case (someone getting free food, getting sick then turning around and suing their benefactor) apparently hasn’t happened once. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-replace-food-stamps-with-a-box-of-processed-food-everyone-gets-the-same-thing/808789/146 "2019-03-18T09:42:22Z")
I recently ran into an article about apps which restaurants and other food establishments can use to offer leftovers or food with cosmetic damage at reduced prices. [Article in Spanish](https://www.larazon.es/tecnologia/apps/descubre-las-apps-para-comer-barato-la-comida-que-sobra-de-los-restaurantes-KN21864860) picked from a google search. In places that have that kind of networks, one way to help the poor could be by making sure they have access to them; maybe also putting in credits for them. The network isn’t specifically targeted for poor people, rather at reducing the amount of waste, but it can be a way for people on low income/food stamps to have access to stuff they may usually not even consider available. For example, one of the places mentioned in that article is the best baker in Barcelona: 3€ get you half a dozen pastries which would normally go for 6-10€ apiece IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![slumtrimpet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@slumtrimpet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slumtrimpet)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-replace-food-stamps-with-a-box-of-processed-food-everyone-gets-the-same-thing/808789/147 "2019-03-18T11:41:56Z")
Well, here’s two possible solutions: [France’s Law against food waste](https://nowthisnews.com/videos/food/frances-law-against-food-waste-is-actually-working) and the former [CEO of Trader Joe’s venture](https://www.businessinsider.com/trader-joes-former-president-launched-an-even-cheaper-grocery-store-2018-5) - which I’ve heard has been a rousing success. > **[Daily Table](https://dailytable.org/)** > > Daily Table is a nonprofit community grocer dedicated to providing fresh, tasty, convenient and nutritious food to communities most in need access at prices everyone can afford Here’s another idea [Market Dollars](https://globalnews.ca/news/4867429/nouirish-market-dollars-2018-farmers-markets/) ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-replace-food-stamps-with-a-box-of-processed-food-everyone-gets-the-same-thing/808789/148 "2019-03-18T12:24:49Z")
So, the party of Small Government™ wants the Federal Government to go grocery shopping for millions of families, and drop ship hundreds of tons of food every week to doorsteps around the nation. And this is, somehow, supposed to be more efficient than adding money to a debit card that families can use during their normal grocery shopping trips. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-replace-food-stamps-with-a-box-of-processed-food-everyone-gets-the-same-thing/808789/149 "2019-03-18T13:53:23Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > So, the party of Small Government™ wants the Federal Government to go grocery shopping for millions of families, and drop ship hundreds of tons of food every week to doorsteps around the nation. > > And this is, somehow, supposed to be more efficient than adding money to a debit card that families can use during their normal grocery shopping trips. umhm. And of course, as has been said what they really want to do is punish people, and perhaps make a profit while doing so. Win, win for Republicans. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-replace-food-stamps-with-a-box-of-processed-food-everyone-gets-the-same-thing/808789/150 "2019-03-18T16:55:21Z")
enipla, perhaps the shipments will come appropriately labeled: \*\* America’s Harvest Box\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-replace-food-stamps-with-a-box-of-processed-food-everyone-gets-the-same-thing/808789/151 "2019-03-18T17:05:37Z")
> [@slumtrimpet](#): > > Well, here’s two possible solutions: > [France’s Law against food waste](https://nowthisnews.com/videos/food/frances-law-against-food-waste-is-actually-working) Huh. I had no idea we did that. That’s neat. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-replace-food-stamps-with-a-box-of-processed-food-everyone-gets-the-same-thing/808789/152 "2019-03-18T17:15:35Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > I recently ran into an article about apps which restaurants and other food establishments can use to offer leftovers or food with cosmetic damage at reduced prices. [Article in Spanish](https://www.larazon.es/tecnologia/apps/descubre-las-apps-para-comer-barato-la-comida-que-sobra-de-los-restaurantes-KN21864860) picked from a google search. > > In places that have that kind of networks, one way to help the poor could be by making sure they have access to them; maybe also putting in credits for them. The network isn’t specifically targeted for poor people, rather at reducing the amount of waste, but it can be a way for people on low income/food stamps to have access to stuff they may usually not even consider available. For example, one of the places mentioned in that article is the best baker in Barcelona: 3€ get you half a dozen pastries which would normally go for 6-10€ apiece IIRC. Yeah, I came across a list of such lists in the loo of a socially conscious bar once. The poster had urls of social networks that tracked e.g. which bars let anybody use the toilets (not just paying customers), which hotels let homeless people use their showers, which neighbourhood stores gave food if asked or had open free wifi etc… all with QR codes so you could just look them up right there. It’s a good idea, but at the same time I felt that it was a very Flickr-SJW kind of thing to do because while on the surface you can feel good about participating in these efforts on social media and tag it #wholesome, in practice I expect it’s kinda rare for homeless people to own an iPhone… ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-replace-food-stamps-with-a-box-of-processed-food-everyone-gets-the-same-thing/808789/153 "2019-03-18T18:41:56Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > I’m still waiting on how Tan the Conman and his minions, er, supporters plan to reconcile their contempt for those on government assistance with the fact that a number of our active duty military are supporting their families with said government assistance (“food stamps”). That would be easy - rations in kind, draw them from the commissary system or even have the families eat on base at the mess halls. I have occasionally eaten at the chow hall at the sub base in Groton, eaten on 3 different submarines [Spadefish, Miami and San Juan] and the chow halls at Fort Monroe and Fort Benning, and it would be fairly easy to work some form of mess schedule or supplies disbursal based on using an ID card [I have had a military/DoD ID card most of my life and even carry a “Star Card” which is the remains of the old revolving charge account used by the Navy in the Exchange system which could also be used in the convenience store over by the Navy Fed Credit Union off base.] Getting food to military families would be easy. Civilians, not so easy - unless you want to set up disbursing centers like food banks, or work extant food banks into the system and use them as a disbursal point. My objections are mainly to the content of said boxes, many people have great objections - food allergies, religious proscriptions and health related dietary issues. I am deathly allergic to mushrooms - powdered mushrooms are used as an umami boost in some so called ‘natural flavors’ which makes me avoid many preprocessed foods. Similarly, shellfish and coconut/palm products cause extreme gastric issues [explosive diarrhea and projectile vomiting] - palm oil is becoming one of the most common oils used in prepackaged foods, and shellfish is present in fish sauce [nuc mon, oyster sauce and the like] which is also used as umami boost or ‘oriental flavor’ and so most of the pacific rim cuisines are off limits for me [coconut and palm and fish sauce, oh my] If I were on food supplimentation as a diabetic, what would I do with all the stodgy carbs, and the prepared foods full of ingredients I can’t eat. If I had the plastic and money placed on it, I could continue with my normal diet of fruits, vegetables, meats/fish, legumes and grains. Back when I was making minimum wage in the mid 80s, I ate just fine on a bag each o rice and beans, the crunch and dent fruits and veggies and most of my protein came from a minimal investment and a number of hours fishing for crab and trading for different stuff at a local fish market that also had dairy [milk, cream and butter] ---
**Author:** ![Chetumal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@Chetumal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chetumal)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-replace-food-stamps-with-a-box-of-processed-food-everyone-gets-the-same-thing/808789/154 "2019-03-18T19:07:12Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > If I were on food supplementation as a diabetic, what would I do with all the stodgy carbs, and the prepared foods full of ingredients I can’t eat. If I had the plastic and money placed on it, I could continue with my normal diet of fruits, vegetables, meats/fish, legumes and grains. That would be me. My doctor has me on a very precise diet, consisting of lean protein, lots of fresh vegetables, whole fruits in moderation and no processed foods, cheap carbs, sugary stuff or artificial ingredients. There is literally nothing in these proposed boxes that I could eat and stay healthy per my doctor’s orders. I would also be unable to lift and carry the box, so it would stay on my front steps until it got stolen or ripped into by raccoons and strewn all over my stoop.:eek: So for folks like me, if I were on food stamps, I’d have my benefit amount slashed in half, and my nutrition and health would suffer, while a huge heavy box of crappy processed food goes to waste. Well, I guess I could try to donate it to a food bank, but again, I would not be able to lift it and I doubt food banks would come pick it up. Such an idiotic idea and yet the head of the USDA is still defending it as a “bold, innovative approach”. Is there _ **anyone** _ in this administration who isn’t a total asshole? Anyone at all? ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-replace-food-stamps-with-a-box-of-processed-food-everyone-gets-the-same-thing/808789/155 "2019-03-18T19:46:01Z")
I note that this thread was revived from over a year ago, and I’m wondering why – has there been some new movement on this proposal? I’m not worried that it will pass congress with the Dems in charge of the House. ---
**Author:** ![Chetumal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@Chetumal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chetumal)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-replace-food-stamps-with-a-box-of-processed-food-everyone-gets-the-same-thing/808789/156 "2019-03-18T22:45:18Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I note that this thread was revived from over a year ago, and I’m wondering why – has there been some new movement on this proposal? I’m not worried that it will pass congress with the Dems in charge of the House. Yes, it’s part of Trump’s new budget that was released last week. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-replace-food-stamps-with-a-box-of-processed-food-everyone-gets-the-same-thing/808789/157 "2019-03-19T03:39:28Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Some of it is customers changing their minds about stuff and leaving it in random parts of the store until it warms up/cools down instead of handing it off to an employee - the store can’t put that back on the shelf, it goes in the dumpster along with anything that leaking juices have ruined. Ditto for anything “sampled” - no one wants the box missing items stolen (because it is stealing) by who knows how grubby fingers. We’ve tossed out boxes that were invaded by pests during transit - that lettuce might look wholesome but it’s got rat feces and maybe a dead rodent or two in it but sure, have at it. Not long ago, I was at a local grocery store, and some doofus had placed a package of bacon and a couple of those 1-pound plastic rolls of ground beef behind some soup cans, and they were all room temperature. :mad: I was told later that this might have been a setup for a shoplifter, but even a dedicated thief probably wouldn’t have wanted this. I isolated them from my other groceries and gave them to the cashier, explaining what happened, and then went home and told the story on my Facebook page. I saw a similar thing a while back with a container of Ben & Jerry’s. I have also confronted people who were “tasting” things off the buffet or out of bulk containers. It doesn’t go over well, but they too are STEALING. The grocery store up the street from me is great for marking down perishables and short-dated non-perishables. I always check out those areas when I’m in there, and have gotten some great bargains. Some groceries and restaurants, mostly independents, will give suitable food waste to chicken and pig farmers. I think that’s a great idea. Why not feed cauliflower leaves, excess trimmed fat off meat, etc. to animals? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-replace-food-stamps-with-a-box-of-processed-food-everyone-gets-the-same-thing/808789/158 "2019-03-19T03:45:16Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > . Oh I’m sure it does, and I \*know \*Americans are fucking weird about lawsuits, but this specifical case (someone getting free food, getting sick then turning around and suing their benefactor) apparently hasn’t happened once. I heard about that happening at a facility my old church serves at once a month, some years back, but the person did not pursue it further when not only could s/he not prove that s/he had food poisoning, but that s/he was even sick in the first place. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![customdistro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eb9ed0/32.png) [@customdistro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/customdistro)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-replace-food-stamps-with-a-box-of-processed-food-everyone-gets-the-same-thing/808789/159 "2019-03-19T03:52:48Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > **Instead, the idea, according to two administration officials who worked on the proposal, was a political gambit by fiscal hawks in the administration aimed at sparking outrage among liberals** i always wonder what words politicians would find to say if we simply outlawed trolling during campaigning and while in office. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-replace-food-stamps-with-a-box-of-processed-food-everyone-gets-the-same-thing/808789/160 "2019-03-19T04:10:34Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > That would be easy - rations in kind, RIK is for the service member, of course, as it’s now constituted. That makes sense since the service member will be going along (usually) with the mess decks when the vessel deploys or the unit mess hall when the unit hits the field. > [@](#): > > draw them from the commissary system They’re already using the commissary and paying for the food in part with government assistance. > [@](#): > > or even have the families eat on base at the mess halls. I have occasionally eaten at the chow hall at the sub base in Groton, eaten on 3 different submarines [Spadefish, Miami and San Juan] and the chow halls at Fort Monroe and Fort Benning, and it would be fairly easy to work some form of mess schedule or supplies disbursal based on using an ID card [I have had a military/DoD ID card most of my life and even carry a “Star Card” which is the remains of the old revolving charge account used by the Navy in the Exchange system which could also be used in the convenience store over by the Navy Fed Credit Union off base.] See above about deployment and field. To implement a plan (and we all know already how Trump is on implementing, hell, on planning in the first place) for such a scheme would require more government money and a hell of a lot of it than that Trump is whining about here. The STAR card is now accepted by the commissary system so that’s a bit better, but it’s still a credit card and increasing the debt load for someone relying on government assistance might not be a good idea. > [@](#): > > Getting food to military families would be easy. Civilians, not so easy - unless you want to set up disbursing centers like food banks, or work extant food banks into the system and use them as a disbursal point. I don’t see it being so easy for either group of families. One would need, at a minimum, to double the facilities currently in place because the families will not be going to sea/accompanying the sponsor on field maneuvers. > [@](#): > > My objections are mainly to the content of said boxes, many people have great objections - food allergies, religious proscriptions and health related dietary issues. I snipped the rest of the post after that. This is a good point, but it’s also the tip of the iceberg when it comes to feeding families. The big questions, of course, are: [ul][li]Number of family members[/li][li]Age of family members[/li][li]As you mentioned, religious/medical dietary issues[/li][li]Special events (birthdays, anniversaries, Sabbath meals)[/li]and the Super Biggie: [li]Who’s going to pay for all of this?[/ul][/li] This is not a plan (and I’d like to believe you’re not advancing it as a possible solution for that bag of nuts called the Trump administration), but yet another answer worse than the supposed problem. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-replace-food-stamps-with-a-box-of-processed-food-everyone-gets-the-same-thing/808789.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-to-replace-food-stamps-with-a-box-of-processed-food-everyone-gets-the-same-thing/808789.md?page=9)