Based on the most recently available public data from the USDA Nutrition Assistance Program Report (November 2016), these were the top 20 commodities purchased using SNAP dollars. SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, helps low-income families afford groceries when they struggle to make ends meet. The program costs taxpayers roughly $100 billion dollars per year which is about 2% of the entire federal budget.
While the intent behind SNAP is positive, how the funds are being used raises serious concerns. According to the data, about $817 million dollars of taxpayer money during the reported year was spent on foods with little to no nutritional value, which we would classify as junk food. In other words, a large portion of public funds went toward unhealthy, pleasure-based foods like candy, chips, cookies, ice cream, and soda.
Here are the categories we consider to be junk food:
Soda = $358 million
Bagged Snacks = $199 million
Candy = $96 million
Ice Cream = $86 million
Cookies = $78 million
Figures are rounded to the nearest million for simplicity and readability. You can find the complete dataset in the USDA report referenced above and below.
Source: USDA Nutrition Assistance Program Report (November 2016)
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