“I do have a problem with a happy meal or a drive-thru being part of it, and I don’t understand why we can’t have an honest discussion about obesity with our youth and in what is available to be purchased with SNAP benefits.” “I don’t have a problem with a rotisserie chicken being available as part of the program,” Rep. “I’m especially interested in examining the ways that we can improve flexibilities for those who rely on SNAP to put food on the table,” the Virginia Democrat said, advocating a bill from Rush ( H.R.
Abigail Spanberger brought the topic to the table at an early farm bill hearing on the program last month. Proponents of the rule argue that rewriting or striking it could open the door to restaurant purchases, which isn’t what the program was originally meant to be. is the largest seller of rotisserie chickens, followed by chains such as Walmart Inc., the Kroger Co., and ShopRite. Rotisserie chicken is a popular dinner staple because it can be purchased for as little as $6 at the grocery store-roughly the same price as an uncooked chicken-and doesn’t require prep work.Ĭostco Wholesale Corp. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), said in a statement. “The fact that you can use SNAP to purchase a frozen, breaded chicken, but not a hot rotisserie chicken or a salad from a grocery store salad bar, frankly, makes no sense,” Rep. The debate highlights just how hard it is to rewrite the largest food assistance program in the U.S., playing into broader partisan division over what some Republicans view as an expansion of welfare that could open the door to purchases far beyond grocery stores.Īn employee puts flamed cooked rotisserie chicken onto a pan after taking them out of the oven at a Whole Foods Market Inc. As part of SNAP’s five-year reauthorization in the 2023 farm bill, members of Congress from both parties want that rule changed. The Agriculture Department’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, meant to help people purchase food if their income falls below a certain threshold, reached more than 1 in 10 Americans last year, with its ranks swelling since the Covid pandemic exacerbated food insecurity.īut proponents argue the program hasn’t adjusted to Americans’ changing food habits since the 1970s, when lawmakers sought to limit the SNAP recipients from purchasing from fast food joints like Kentucky Fried Chicken. Anti-hunger advocates are asking Congress to revisit a food stamp rule dating back half a century that keeps recipients from paying for hot foods with their government benefits.
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