this post was submitted on 30 Apr 2025
250 points (98.4% liked)

News

37741 readers
1517 users here now

Welcome to the News community!

Rules:

1. Be civil


Attack the argument, not the person. No racism/sexism/bigotry. Good faith argumentation only. This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban. Do not respond to rule-breaking content; report it and move on.


2. All posts should contain a source (url) that is as reliable and unbiased as possible and must only contain one link.


Obvious biased sources will be removed at the mods’ discretion. Supporting links can be added in comments or posted separately but not to the post body. Sources may be checked for reliability using Wikipedia, MBFC, AdFontes, GroundNews, etc.


3. No bots, spam or self-promotion.


Only approved bots, which follow the guidelines for bots set by the instance, are allowed.


4. Post titles should be the same as the article used as source. Clickbait titles may be removed.


Posts which titles don’t match the source may be removed. If the site changed their headline, we may ask you to update the post title. Clickbait titles use hyperbolic language and do not accurately describe the article content. When necessary, post titles may be edited, clearly marked with [brackets], but may never be used to editorialize or comment on the content.


5. Only recent news is allowed.


Posts must be news from the most recent 30 days.


6. All posts must be news articles.


No opinion pieces, Listicles, editorials, videos, blogs, press releases, or celebrity gossip will be allowed. All posts will be judged on a case-by-case basis. Mods may use discretion to pre-approve videos or press releases from highly credible sources that provide unique, newsworthy content not available or possible in another format.


7. No duplicate posts.


If an article has already been posted, it will be removed. Different articles reporting on the same subject are permitted. If the post that matches your post is very old, we refer you to rule 5.


8. Misinformation is prohibited.


Misinformation / propaganda is strictly prohibited. Any comment or post containing or linking to misinformation will be removed. If you feel that your post has been removed in error, credible sources must be provided.


9. No link shorteners or news aggregators.


All posts must link to original article sources. You may include archival links in the post description. News aggregators such as Yahoo, Google, Hacker News, etc. should be avoided in favor of the original source link. Newswire services such as AP, Reuters, or AFP, are frequently republished and may be shared from other credible sources.


10. Don't copy entire article in your post body


For copyright reasons, you are not allowed to copy an entire article into your post body. This is an instance wide rule, that is strictly enforced in this community.

founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] MyOpinion@lemm.ee 56 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Let them buy what they want you damn Nazi.

[–] Maeve@kbin.earth 65 points 1 year ago (8 children)

It's not what every snap user wants. It's just that garbage products are calorie dense and need little to no preparation, and those things absolutely matter when working several jobs or being homeless and convincing someone to let you use their address because a permanent address is necessary.

[–] gibmiser@lemmy.world 43 points 1 year ago (8 children)

More calories per dollar for things like rice beans pasta. It's a bit more complicated than that.

Convenience is king when you are constantly burned out and sleep deprived and "just need something good enough and easy"

[–] themeatbridge@lemmy.world 47 points 1 year ago (17 children)

Fucking hell, have you ever tried to live on rice and beans? You need half a dozen spices and salt just to make it taste like not sadness, plus prep time, prep space, prep bowls and pots, and then you need to wash everything. Compared with a frozen meal that cooks in the microwave and a disposable tray for serving, there's really no contest. A "rice and beans" lifestyle requires a stay-at-home partner who soaks beans and washes dishes.

It's a great frugal tip to stretch your grocery dollars, but if you're poor, it's not a moral failing to go with a cheap frozen meal.

[–] distantsounds@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago (4 children)

I wish more people understood this. Beans are so good, but only if you can devote hours to them.

[–] themeatbridge@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's just one of the myriad of recommendations people make because they don't understand the problem. People think that the simple trick that worked for them would solve similar problems for everyone. Worse, they get angry when their advice is met with resistance. It's like Napoleon feeding the alpacas.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (3 replies)
[–] jmcs@discuss.tchncs.de 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You can make a relatively tasty rice with beans with canned beans and bit of salt in 10 minutes - if you are feeling fancy adding parsley will even move it to tasting good. I'm starting to suspect all the corn syrup is damaging american's taste buds beyond repair.

[–] themeatbridge@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Two things, canned beans and instant rice cost more than dry bulk rice and beans. And your recipe for "salt and parsley instant rice and canned beans" sounds like it's going to taste like sadness.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (15 replies)

Yeah, I'd say the bigger issue is low income people not having time to cook, and/or not having the ability to get to a decent grocery store.

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 13 points 1 year ago

You might also be living on the street or in a car and not have the means to actually cook.

load more comments (5 replies)
load more comments (7 replies)
[–] Pyr_Pressure@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Next it will no sugary cereal, just oats and gruel for the peasantry.

load more comments (5 replies)
[–] sunbrrnslapper@lemmy.world 35 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I used to live in a kinda poor area. Lots of people on some sort of program. And that program had really restrictive rules about what you can and cannot buy. For example, you could buy Skippy peanut butter but not Skippy light peanut butter (whatever that is). It caused great confusion for the people who needed food, huge amounts of labor for the poor grocery person, and a long wait for the other shoppers in line - just so the government can save a few cents. Unbelievable.

[–] fluffykittycat@slrpnk.net 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)
load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] HurlingDurling@lemmy.world 26 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Uhhhhhh... It already does. Snap changed from actual stamps to a digital card that declines any purchase that does not fit in the categories that justify a snap purchase. I worked a couple of years ago with a non-profit org that helped the needy, and I distinctly remember being at walmart with someone was buying groceries, when they used their snap card the payment covered everything but junk food and the person I was with had to pay with their own money for the rest of their things.

In short RFK is working on stopping something that never has ever existed.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] BBQuicktime@thelemmy.club 25 points 1 year ago (2 children)

These same assholes were the ones freaking out when Michelle Obama was trying to get healthier food for school lunches and making up shit like "Turning Cookie Monster into Veggie Monster" to get mad at.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] pepperjohnson@lemm.ee 21 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Heaven forbid someone enjoys their life. I'd rather pay for this than billionaire tax cuts and the bloated military budget.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago

I thought it was already blocked? 🤔

Huh, guess not.

https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/eligible-food-items

Households CANNOT use SNAP benefits to buy:

Beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes, or tobacco

Vitamins, medicines, and supplements. If an item has a Supplement Facts label, it is considered a supplement and is not eligible for SNAP purchase.

Live animals (except shellfish, fish removed from water, and animals slaughtered prior to pick-up from the store).

Foods that are hot at the point of sale

Any nonfood items such as:

Pet foods

Cleaning supplies, paper products, and other household supplies.

Hygiene items, cosmetics

[–] salacious_coaster@infosec.pub 13 points 1 year ago

Oh good, we'll have slightly less sugar-related inflammation while we all fucking die of bird flu

[–] ThrowawayPermanente@sh.itjust.works 13 points 1 year ago (20 children)

Let's have a writing contest, you guys. Now that a Trump appointee is against it, let's all think up reasons for why subsidized high-fructose corn syrup sold as food is not only a good thing but actually a basic human right.

load more comments (19 replies)
[–] Bellingdog@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago

What goon-affiliated product will they be able to purchase with food stamps instead? Lee Greenwood Bibles? My Pillows?

[–] PunkRockSportsFan@fanaticus.social 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Sugar industry is gonna Kennedy this dude.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Sidhean@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

~~ITT: "You don't deserve candy if you're poor"~~ sorry that was mean

Like, yeah, its bad for me. I was hooked on it as a kid and I'm trying to cut back except so many people in my life eats shit-tons of sugar. I'm working on it, but I do not need the government telling me what I can and can't eat just because I'm poor. I dunno, that seems mean. Maybe RFK should work on just banning them all together (unless you're rich ofc). If its bad for me, its bad for you, too.

[–] SabinStargem@lemmy.today 10 points 1 year ago

This is the kind of BS that leads to you being unable to buy warm food with food programs. A box of fried or baked chicken costs $26 for 24 pieces, which can feed me for 2-3 days, saving me money in the long run. A hot pizza is $13. A rotisserie from CostCo is about $6.

People should make the decisions about their food stamps, because they are familiar with how to best feed themselves. Your typical WalMart employee has to rely on food stamps and other benefits, because WalMart doesn't want to pay a living wage. An initiative like RFK's is designed to punish the poor for failing to be born with a silver spoon.

This isn't about helping people to make better decisions, it is about depriving them the good things in life.

[–] altphoto@lemmy.today 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Buying soda and candy. I can get behind a worm for that one. Just ban those things already. But I would step on that worm right after. The guy is clearly crazy. And too old. I wouldn't want anyone to suffer from whatever self inflicted speech impediment this guy has.

[–] smayonak@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ever try to water down a fountain drink with carbonated water? You can add 300% soda water and it still tastes sweet. But that overwhelming level of sweetness seems to stimulate appetite. And it's one of many reasons why manufacturers use high fructose instead of table sugar. It's slightly sweeter and more stimulating.

[–] JennyLaFae@lemmy.blahaj.zone 8 points 1 year ago

The products are designed to trick our bodies into eating and drinking more. Super sweet spikes the insulin but has nothing to digest so you're hungry and now it's salty snack time making you thirsty for more soda. Consume.

load more comments
view more: next ›