Should Food Stamps be allowed to be used at Restaurants?

[Rapscallion]

I just tried to tot up the soup I made. I got ten thick portions out of it. One small jar of Thai curry paste bought quite some time ago - probably about £2. Onions from my own garden. Some other veg - perhaps about £3 total. Can of coconut milk - just over a quid. Barley - less than a quid worth by far. Couple of quid for the turkey thigh (ready diced and boneless).

Less than a quid a portion, including the bread I made myself. Fairly healthy as well. Very filling, as I make it stodgy when I blend it (barley).

Healthy isn't that expensive.

Rapscallion

[Peppergirl]

SNAP here in MA has an additional incentive for users to shop at farmers markets (50% discount ie buy $20 worth of food your card is only charged $10) which I think is a great idea. Now if only the local markets and food banks would offer seasonal-ingredient cooking classes like NM does...

Now THIS is pretty freakin' clever. I'd love to see something like that instituted here.

I think it's a terrible idea to allow foodstamps to be used at fast food places. Not only is it unfair, but the nutritional value is nil and in some cases, less than nil.

The only exception I can see is the person who brought up the exception made for the NOLA disaster. People can't very well be expected to cook food if everything has been wiped out.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I agree with Raps. I'm living from hand to mouth at the moment, and my most recent shop, after my staff discount, came to just over £15. I made a giant casserole, which will feed me all week. Fresh veg, economy beef, casserole sauce. That including a few other necessities didn't cost the earth.

I used to subsist on ready meals and my food bill used to be twice as much. Ready meals just cost tons more, as does fast food and takeaway and anyway, cooking food for myself is more healthy; less salt, less fat and I know what's gone into it. If more people were educated on how to cook on a budget, then they'd be a lot better off than if they could buy burgers with their food stamps.

[Ginger Tea]

I agree with Raps. I'm living from hand to mouth at the moment, and my most recent shop, after my staff discount, came to just over £15. I made a giant casserole, which will feed me all week. Fresh veg, economy beef, casserole sauce. That including a few other necessities didn't cost the earth.

I used to subsist on ready meals and my food bill used to be twice as much. Ready meals just cost tons more, as does fast food and takeaway and anyway, cooking food for myself is more healthy; less salt, less fat and I know what's gone into it. If more people were educated on how to cook on a budget, then they'd be a lot better off than if they could buy burgers with their food stamps.

I for a while now, have either been eating whatever spare food we cook up for staff lunch or ready meals, this past week the kitchen has been borked and those starting at 11 are finishing at 9pm, I finished at 9pm last night, bought a sandwich from tescos on the way home (and some other things) had that went to bed and went to work at 5am that night cooking after work was not an option.
Also I still encounter the odd bout of shared fridge = shared food, so if I had ingreedients to cook with, I doubt much would be there when I did eventually decide to cook something up.

[Andara Bledin]

Rice. All you need is a steamer and a dry place to store it. Some salt, maybe some butter, a little sauce and some meat you grab from wherever on the way home. It's unbelievably simple and hands off and there's very little to clean up.

I'm honestly kicking myself for not breaking the thing out for a year after being given the steamer. I'm saving $30-$50/month by using it and not eating fast food, and that's with using disposable bowls and utensils.

^-.-^

[Tanasi]

I've not noticed the EBT signs on the fast food joints but I have noticed them at c-stores and of all places Papa Murpheys.
Back in the spring I had saved up my allowance and took the wife on a dinner cruise for our anniversery on the local river boat and sprang for the top end meal and wine. The meal was great the wife said the wine was great, what disappointed me was some neighbors that I know for a fact that are on welfare, section 8, food stamps and only the Lord knows what else was seated next to us and ordered the same thing. I spent over $200 and had a coupon, I bet there's somesort of welfare coupon for 4-star dining???

[Mytical]

No. Yeah..I get that it is nice to have a treat once in awhile, but just no. Not sure how to phrase what I feel about this, but as a nation we are a bit unhealthy as it is..(and yes I am very unhealthy) do we really want to make it worse?

[Greenday]

I don't like the idea. People will use them on meals at restaurants, then complain when they run out faster and want more money because they can't be responsible with the money they are given.

[Peppergirl]

True, we all deserve a treat - but dammit, when I first went through my divorce, I was LIVING on ramen noodles and working as many hours as I could a week in order to simply put gas in my car and provide basic food for my 2 kids.

I deserved a treat - I never got one, though. I had to work my ass off in overtime just to have the occasional pizza treat.

Hell, even though I have a decent job right now and work a ton of OT, treating myself to fast food or pizza is still a RARE occasion. Even now.

Why should someone on welfare be any different?

[powerboy]

No I don't think that they should be able too.

[Eisa]

I think you can spend them at Papa Murphy's because you have to bake the pizza yourself. That's what my sister said anyway.

Hmm. I do think it would be more beneficial if they would provide healthy cooking classes to show how you can stretch your food stamps and still eat healthy.

On the other hand, if they really want to do it, I don't mind someone's suggestion about it taking a higher amount of food stamps to do it, like it really is a "treat."

[tropicsgoddess]

Food stamps were made for assisting people who were unable to buy food on their own because of their low income to eat. Buying groceries to eat is a priority. Eating out at at a restaurant is a luxury. I think that there would be even more abuse than there is now if food stamp recipients were allowed to use their food stamps at a restaurant. ETA: I have to say that I do agree with Eisa's idea on having healthy cooking classes to show how people can stretch their food stamps and still eat healthy is a great idea!

[Racket_Man]

and I still say this as a pizza delivery driver: the beginning of the month is called Welfare Week for a reason. yeah that "treat" cost you $30 - $40. that amount would feed me AND GF for a week (lots of bulk stuff like cheap brats and meat or even Hamburger Helper or a very large pot of my famous pea soup YUUUMMMMM around $10 - $15 for EVERYTHING or a large pot of beef and veggie soup or at worst cheap hot dogs and the like).

all of us drivers hate Welfare Week as our tips go down (and by my own figures a drops of about 20 - 30%)

the big corps are just salivating at the prospect of new revenue streams.

if this IS allowed there should be limits of some sort to prevent someone from blowing ALL of their month allotment in just a couple of days scarfing down KFC or Taco bell or Poppa Johns.

but then I still say that a LOT of other products should be blacklisted from foodstamp/SNAP program like soda, candy, chips etc.

[Gravekeeper]

Hell, I see the difference in my grocery bill just between shopping at an actual grocery store ( during work week ) and when I'm at home ( during days off ) and shopping at the local farmer's market.

Ingredients are cheap which should be the focus of food stamps. But anything where processing was involved you're paying for overhead. Especially fast food where the majority of the price is overhead. Not the actual food.

[smileyeagle1021]

While I will admit there are exceptions, the general rule should be not just no, but hell no. I'm ineligible for food stamps because I apparently make too much money... yeah, because us part time call center slaves are just rolling in cash so, to be a bit blunt, I find it offensive paying taxes so someone else can have what I myself can't afford.
I have no problem paying my fair share to make sure that no one goes hungry, but I'll be damned if I'll pay more so someone can just be handed a better life. More career prep and education assistance that will help people improve themselves so they can get jobs where they can treat themselves I'm all for, because that is teaching them how to get it themselves, not just blindly giving it away.