Healthier Food Stamps

Food stamps are intended to provide low-income families, who struggle to buy healthy food own their own, the opportunity to have a healthy diet. With the purpose of food stamps in mind, a policy should be added that will prohibit purchases that are not considered healthy choices, including but not limited to; soft drinks, energy drinks, candy, snack food, and additional food considered to be luxurious. If you are capable of limiting the food served in our school systems to healthy choices, then I believe you have the same capability to do so with food stamps. Next, the number of stores that are allowed to accept food stamps needs to be limited. With numerous grocery stores and convenient stores accepting food stamps across the state it becomes practically impossible to monitor all food stamp transactions. By limiting the number of stores who are allowed to accept food stamps you will have more capability of monitoring the purchases more closely. This policy will also cut down on corrupt business owners who contribute to food stamp fraud and illegally accept food stamps as cash for non-food items such as tobacco or

As per Healthy People 2020 most Americans do not consume healthy diets and are not physically active at levels needed to maintain proper health. As a result of these behaviors the nation has experienced a dramatic increase in obesity in the U.S with 1 in 3 adults (34.0%) and 1 and 6 children and adolescents (16.2%) are obese. In addition to grave health consequences of being overweight and obese. It significantly raises medical cost and causes a great burden on the U.S medical care delivery system ("Healthy People 2020," 2014, p. 1).

Eighteen percent of America is currently on food stamps. Why is that so? Food stamps allow just about anyone to qualify. Most of those on food stamps are able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) (Hoar). Why is it that so many people are on food stamps? Maybe because it is lenient with its rules. Being on food stamps does not give someone a comfortable and easy lifestyle, but it is comfortable enough. It is no secret that obesity is a growing epidemic in America. Food stamps are one of the major roots of the problem. Imagine getting to stay home and not have to go to work. The government sends checks in the mail to spend on groceries, but it gets better. The government does not prohibit the purchase of junk food. Those people can now indulge

According to the article Millions Commit Food Stamp Fraud Every Year, “Food stamps represent one of the fastest growing federal programs in the U.S., 46 million Americans now receive assistance, but, it's a program ripe for abuse” (Volk, 2012). Though the idea behind food stamps is noble, and there is a definite need for the program; there are many problems that arise from the food stamps program. The primary problem in terms of decision-making is the fraud associated with the food stamp program. According to Tanner as quoted in the Millions Commit Food Stamp Fraud Every Year article, “The food stamp program has always had one of the highest rates of waste, fraud and abuse” (Volk, 2012).

Food stamps are a widely debated issue within the United States, and every year new proposed laws create arguments that can get bitter, personal, and ugly. Some see them as “free tickets” for the lazy and unemployed, while others believe they are the government’s way of providing the right to life that the country was founded on. As evidence shows, SNAP benefits are important to impoverished areas because they bring food to places were companies would normally not go to and give benefits to people who cannot help their situation.

When one young lady stood up as the author of “The Food Stamp Bill,” my head shot to her. What did she think of me? My family and friends? What did she think about our life support? She thought we were undeserving of name brand cereals as well as government assistance after two years. To my horror, other girls recounted stories they had seen on documentaries about Food Stamp Millionaires and drug addicts selling stamps and not feeding their children. I’m sure they didn’t understand that the woman in front of them at the grocery store may buy gluten free bread for their son with celiac disease, or that climbing the economic ladder enough to afford three meals for your family can take over two years. However, they were raised to label me as a leech on society's wallet. I raised my placard,

In the following paper, the topic of food stamps or the official name Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) which is defined on the government website as “SNAP offers nutrition assistance to millions of eligible, low-income individuals and families and provides economic benefits to communities. SNAP is the largest program in the domestic hunger safety net”.(2017) The argument in the paper is the fighting for or against the continuation of SNAP within the United States of America. Some main points that will be covered in this essay are if SNAP should be continued, should or should not there be an increase in the amount of money given to people on welfare and food stamps, and should the government drug test people that want food stamps.

Food stamps or other words known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP play a critical part in today’s society. More than 46 million American’s rely on food stamps to get through their everyday life. This program kept 4.9 million people out of poverty in 2012 not to mention the over 2 million kids. Food stamps are a voucher from the government for those on low income, exchangeable for food. Many families that have a large number of members, families that only have one single parent responsible for the entire income, or even the disabled which are unable to work rely heavily on this service just to keep food on the table. Furthermore, this is why this

The food stamp program was instituted to ensure that people are no longer are going hungry in America. Since The Food Stamp Act came into effect in the year 1964. Obesity seems to be more prevalent in participants of this food program. Obesity does not discriminate, although it does appear to affect lower-income women that participate in the Food Stamp Program. As written by Gibson (2008) "Participation in the Food Stamp Program by low-income women was associated with a 9.0% increase in the probability of current obesity" (as cited by Zhu,Yen,Eastwood, 2005). More people are inclined to be more obese now than ever before; there are 30% or 6 million of adults that are categorized as obese in the United States (Collins, 2007). The rate is for

Nationally, about 17% of people under the age of 20, about 12.5 million are considered obese. School districts that serve students food that are high in calories and fat are to blame for the growing numbers of obese children. Although school lunches provide students food at minimal costs, the poor quality of food served delivers inadequate nutrition and is responsible for the rising numbers of obese minors in the United States. In order to combat this growing problem, school districts must limit student choices in the lunchroom and provide healthier food nationally. Although some school districts may argue this, it is necessary to do so as school districts in Pennsylvania and Mississippi and university studies support this claim.

Researchers say they have identified yet another risk factor for childhood obesity: school lunch. Usually, lunchtime is a kid’s favorite time of day at school because they receive a chance to socialize with their friends. However, the cafeteria, where children enjoy spending most of their time, is also a place that exposes them to harmful eating habits, such as the unhealthy foods the cafeteria offers which can influence them to continue wanting to eat these foods and may change the way these kids live their lifestyle in the future. The government should impose restrictions on foods in schools cafeterias to comply with food safety standards. It has been quite popular the last decade to take parental responsibility out of the school and leave

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has become an immense support for food insecurity, particularly in low-income families in our country. The SNAP program has been initiated to reduce hunger during economic crisis and has become crucial in helping its participants to meet their dietary needs (Blumenthal, 2012 pg.50). However, there is a main concern is that SNAP participants are also at risk for developing obesity and other chronic disease. The SNAP program finds that the obesity epidemic is associated with huge economic burdens on medical cost, if not addressed at right time. The Farm Bill containing SNAP program was signed into law in February, 2014 after intense debate on its effectiveness and efficiency (Farm Bill, 2014). During the debate, the congressional legislation addressed the importance of healthy eating for participants to receive proper nutrition in their diet (Blumenthal, 2012 pg.50). The policy reports that SNAP program will focus on food insecurity and also provide health outcome for obesity among participants. This policy needs to be modified to expand other nutrition assistance program for SNAP participants to select healthy food choices. Such an educational program would benefit most states offering nutrition information to assist SNAP participants to eat healthier and be physically active.

Federally-funded school meal programs, including the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP), serve an average of 31.3 million lunches and 11.1 million breakfasts per day at a cost to the country of $11.1 billion in 2011 (Food & Nutrition Services, 2012). These federally-funded meals are an excellent opportunity for regulation of nutrition as well as education regarding healthy choices. Obesity is clearly a great threat to the health of our nation, and the federal government must step in to defend its citizens against this growing threat. Children are at the mercy of their families, their social conditions, and their schools, predisposing them to obesity through poor nutritional options and a lack of education; the federal government must intervene through regulation of school meals and snacks to protect children from the abundance of unhealthy options while also educating them and reducing childhood obesity.

Restrictions on food choices among food stamps recipients not only raise questions on infringements of individual autonomy and choice they also tend to stigmatize the recipient holders and make them feel socially disapproved. Yes, they do use tax payers’ money to buy their food but they have the right to spend the money allotted to them the way they want. Moreover, as per USDA's report they use a portion of their own money to buy the food so there is no guarantee that restricting them from buying a certain type of food will affect their food purchase (USDA, 2007). It is true that obesity is more common among those who are socioeconomically deprived but buying steak, lobsters and junk food from taxpayers’ money is not the only reason behind

People around the globe struggle with excess weight, but Americans exceed the rates of obesity in other first world countries by thirteen percent. According to Overweight and Obesity Statisics, there are 68.8 percent of the population is overweight or obese in America. Although the numbers of overweight and obese people are higher than ever before, many are not willing to work to lose weight. Americans want to sit back, relax, and put in no work but still lose weight, this being why so many people choose fad diet plans, which provide quick and easy weight loss (Fad Diets). On the other hand few people choose healthy dieting methods, which take longer to see results and include more work but overall is a smarter