The Food Stamp Diet

I was reading the newspaper the other day, when I came across an article about The Food Stamp Diet. Apparently, Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski and his wife had been challenged to try to eat for a week on the same budget food stamp recipients in their state live on. In Oregon, this works out to $42 per week for a family of two. The Gov. and Mrs. were lamenting the difficulty of this project, designed to foster empathy for the families receiving food stamps, and wondering how they were going to make the money go far enough. I decided I would also take up the challenge, and immediately began planning - if I eat beans and rice, can I still afford a bottle of wine?

I looked up my own state, Colorado, to ensure that I was using accurate numbers. I was amazed to see that the USDA expects me to use 30% of my gross income on food! And that if my family of three qualified for assistance, I would receive $408 per month for groceries! We are not spending anywhere near $408 per month for groceries, even if you add in the wine. I was going to have to increase my grocery bill dramatically if we were going to spend what we would receive in food stamps. I could afford to shop at the Whole Foods every week. We eat well, buying wholesome fresh ingredients, fruit, veggies, and meat, and I bake my own bread. I buy Parm-Reggiano and drink wine. We aren't scraping by. But while I certainly have empathy for people who need food stamps to feed their families, maybe the USDA could make that money go a little further by teaching people in their programs how to buy and prepare better quality food that costs less overall. Something to ponder...      

Comments

[Deborah Dowd]

Thought-provoking post! It is so true that just giving people food stamps is not enough if all they do is buy convenience foods. And how many of us working folk have been in line behind someone buying bakery and deli items that are not in our budget and paying with food stamps?! Food stamps should come along with some training to ensure that what taxpayers are providing is adequate nutrition and healthy eating habits, not just food!