Waste, fraud and abuse. Those words are front and center, it seems, now more than ever. That’s particularly in the wake of stories highlighting USDA efforts to reduce possible waste, fraud and abuse in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), as gleaned from just one headline.
That’s especially considering YouTuber Nick Shirley, whose independent investigation has shined a white-hot spotlight regarding an alleged daycare fraud scheme in Minnesota.
It reminds me of what the late senator Everett Dirksen famously said about wasteful spending in 1969: “A billion here, and a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking about real money.”
Closer to home in the grocery business, we eye every cent. In fact, we used to say that our chain was so tight that the only reason anyone turned loose of a nickel was to get a better grip. Grocers operate on thin margins that ranged from 1 cent to 3 cents on each sales dollar.
It makes sense that everyone squeezed that proverbial “Buffalo nickel” so tightly, regarding controlling costs and keeping shrink in check.
So, now it comes as no surprise that discussion of how SNAP benefits should apply to some fresh produce purchases. In recent articles, questions are raised such as: Should the benefits allow for, say, prepackaged salads that come with plastic utensils? What about pre-cut fruit?
One thing is certain: These products make up a lot of produce offerings these days. The question in point is: Should value-added items be allowed for SNAP purchases, especially considering that grocers in many regions sell large amounts of this category, including the less affluent base?
Like my dad used to say: “God must love poor people. He made so many of them.”
And to what extent is the governance of fresh food choices, even for raw products? Consider that not so long ago, white potatoes were banned from purchases under the federal supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children, known as WIC, (overturned in 2015) because some argued that customers would only heap piles of butter and cheese atop loaded spuds, negating the nutrition benefit. Got it. Like someone couldn’t do the same with lettuce, smothering it with a jar of blue cheese dressing? Yum. Guilty as charged.
One thing is for sure, no matter the oversight or intent, you can’t legislate common sense.
The way I see it, fresh fruit and vegetables are a natural, nutritional benefit. A packaged salad, with or without added ingredients, or a container of pre-cut fruit may be considered value-added but is a far cry from a box of cookies or a no-nutrition value pack of soda. Should value-added be disallowed because they command a higher price point? If that’s the case, would SNAP likewise deny other value-added choices such as individual size cans of peas or corn? Those have a premium markup as well, you know.
I view value-added produce as a practical way to get nutrient-dense food into the hands of smaller families, to singles and to seniors who otherwise might be reluctant to purchase fresh produce or who are less able to prepare meals on their own.
But what about the loopholes, the potential for waste, abuse and fraud? Humans being who they are. it seems, will always find some loophole. My folks came from a small town that had a sizable percentage using (then-called) food stamps. My dad once motioned me over after a long day of baling hay, pointing to a little store on the corner. “See that guy loading cases of beer?” He asked.
“Yeah, so what?” I said.
“It’s Sunday.” He said. “Can’t sell beer on Sundays. I’ve seen those transactions up close. And you sure aren’t supposed to buy beer and shotgun shells with food stamps. That shopkeeper fixes it so these people can.” He said, shaking his head.
A few dollars here, a few dollars there … .
As odd, even comical, as that scene was, it just shows what lengths some people will go to, in order to game the system. Especially in areas with little or no oversight. Especially when people can figure out how to bend the rules to gain financially and waste tax dollars.
So, I suppose it only makes sense for oversight-type people to question whether or not a plastic fork in a value-added salad should be allowed as a SNAP purchase; as one Bible verse (Matthew 10:16) states: “I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” It only makes sense to be as generous as possible with SNAP, including value-added produce so that fresh produce reaches the intended, the less fortunate among us, as well as making sense for ag producers to move more fresh produce as a whole.
Trust, but verify. As goes a saying popularized by Mark Twain: “Put all your eggs in one basket, and then watch that basket.”
Armand Lobato’s more than 50 years of experience in the produce business span a range of foodservice and retail positions. He has written a weekly retail column for nearly two decades.
