Food stamps should be like WIC. Only certain foods-- that actually have nutritional value other than calories and fat--should be aloud.
Michelle0785 - 14 years ago
Becoming an organic farmer is so expensive and strenuous. You have to get certifications and lots of other red tape. Heath foods stores often run sales on organic and from experience the organic is sometimes on sale for cheaper than the conventional! There is some truth to "you are what you eat" If you eat healthier you have less health problems and incur less health care costs. If you think about it, it's full circle.
Gen - 14 years ago
The amount of foodstamps they give are not enough to last month of organics anyway. So they would have to pay partial with there own money or buy the crap so it spreads out all month. Also Alot of families with children are on food stamps. Are we as a society that cruel to have children's health country because we are too money hungry. We pay alot to help children in other countries what about here are they not good enough too. The hormones in that prcessed food is making the kids develop too fast. Also by doing this we are helping support the organic economy this way and maybe the prices will lower, if there is more demand for organics.
Sheri A - 14 years ago
I receive foodstamps.... It is very hard to buy healthy food with what I get. In order to make my stamps last all month, I do buy a lot of mac & cheese and oodles of noodles. About 10 years ago I developed digestive problems and thought I was lactose intolerant, but found that Organic milk did not bother me. I started buying organic for my health. THEN I went on total disability and started receiving the food stamps. I could no longer buy the food that my stomach could digest. My health has gotten even worse. I can see that its what I eat, but since my disability payments are so low..... I just have to make due with unhealthy food. The government would spend a lot less on my medical bills if the made the healthy food choices more available to me.
Valerie Dawn - 14 years ago
Food stamps currently pay for candy, potato chips, soda, etc... I like the Frugal Hostess's idea of having them count double for healthy foods! But then, who's opinion on what is healthy do we use?
Howard Marshall - 14 years ago
Stephen, I think you have it backwords. ORganic food is not expensive. It only seems expensive next to the subsidized food. American's pay far less for food than other nations simply because our government continues to make it cheaper. Organic food is not subsidized, and so farmers must pass the full cost of growing real food onto the consumer. The types of foods that are subsidized have been genetically modified and commercialized to the point that they can be grown under unnatural conditions, packed in together and yielding far more than normal. Organic farmers must work with mother nature, which often means you cant get as much food per acre.
I think the main issue isn't that it's food stamps that's paying for it. It's that the cost of organic is stupendously over priced. Can anyone explain to me why NOT putting something into a product would cause for it to cost more???? The most I could come up with was compensation for the loss of produce/farm animals that died due to various diseases & the pain in the neck the government gives the farmers to make sure w/o a doubt it's natural/organic. reduce the cost is my pic.
Not only should they hook them up with the organic (and local, I'd hope), they should double the price of unhealthy food to include red meat.
Howard Marshall - 14 years ago
Also, let's not forget that if the government invested as heavily in local or organic agriculture as it does in the corn and soy industries, the prices for the healthier foods would come down as well. For everyone. The reason cheap calories are cheap is because the government allows it. If food stamps went towards carrots instead of Oreos, imagine the change in American agribusiness. I just learned last week that Red Bull is a food stamp-eligible purchase. Really?
Food stamps should count for double when they're used for something healthy, especially organic and local food at farmers' markets (a la Wholesome Wave).
Food stamps should be like WIC. Only certain foods-- that actually have nutritional value other than calories and fat--should be aloud.
Becoming an organic farmer is so expensive and strenuous. You have to get certifications and lots of other red tape. Heath foods stores often run sales on organic and from experience the organic is sometimes on sale for cheaper than the conventional! There is some truth to "you are what you eat" If you eat healthier you have less health problems and incur less health care costs. If you think about it, it's full circle.
The amount of foodstamps they give are not enough to last month of organics anyway. So they would have to pay partial with there own money or buy the crap so it spreads out all month. Also Alot of families with children are on food stamps. Are we as a society that cruel to have children's health country because we are too money hungry. We pay alot to help children in other countries what about here are they not good enough too. The hormones in that prcessed food is making the kids develop too fast. Also by doing this we are helping support the organic economy this way and maybe the prices will lower, if there is more demand for organics.
I receive foodstamps.... It is very hard to buy healthy food with what I get. In order to make my stamps last all month, I do buy a lot of mac & cheese and oodles of noodles. About 10 years ago I developed digestive problems and thought I was lactose intolerant, but found that Organic milk did not bother me. I started buying organic for my health. THEN I went on total disability and started receiving the food stamps. I could no longer buy the food that my stomach could digest. My health has gotten even worse. I can see that its what I eat, but since my disability payments are so low..... I just have to make due with unhealthy food. The government would spend a lot less on my medical bills if the made the healthy food choices more available to me.
Food stamps currently pay for candy, potato chips, soda, etc... I like the Frugal Hostess's idea of having them count double for healthy foods! But then, who's opinion on what is healthy do we use?
Stephen, I think you have it backwords. ORganic food is not expensive. It only seems expensive next to the subsidized food. American's pay far less for food than other nations simply because our government continues to make it cheaper. Organic food is not subsidized, and so farmers must pass the full cost of growing real food onto the consumer. The types of foods that are subsidized have been genetically modified and commercialized to the point that they can be grown under unnatural conditions, packed in together and yielding far more than normal. Organic farmers must work with mother nature, which often means you cant get as much food per acre.
I think the main issue isn't that it's food stamps that's paying for it. It's that the cost of organic is stupendously over priced. Can anyone explain to me why NOT putting something into a product would cause for it to cost more???? The most I could come up with was compensation for the loss of produce/farm animals that died due to various diseases & the pain in the neck the government gives the farmers to make sure w/o a doubt it's natural/organic. reduce the cost is my pic.
Not only should they hook them up with the organic (and local, I'd hope), they should double the price of unhealthy food to include red meat.
Also, let's not forget that if the government invested as heavily in local or organic agriculture as it does in the corn and soy industries, the prices for the healthier foods would come down as well. For everyone. The reason cheap calories are cheap is because the government allows it. If food stamps went towards carrots instead of Oreos, imagine the change in American agribusiness. I just learned last week that Red Bull is a food stamp-eligible purchase. Really?
Food stamps should count for double when they're used for something healthy, especially organic and local food at farmers' markets (a la Wholesome Wave).