Can u buy cough drops with food stamps

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Reductions in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), otherwise known as food stamps, automatically kick in today as a result of the expiration of provisions the 2009 stimulus bill. Meanwhile, Congressional leaders are debating what further cuts will be made to the program as part of negotiations over the farm bill. Republicans are pushing to make benefits less generous and to increase work requirements; Democrats disagree.

An issue that hasn’t gotten as much attention during these debates is what food-stamp recipients are able to buy with their benefits. Public health advocates like Michele Simon have long argued that the lack of restrictions on the types of food aid-recipients can buy has helped fuel an American health crisis caused by unhealthy eating. Writes Simon:

“Much attention has focused on how agricultural subsidies fuel our cheap, unhealthy food supply. In reality, the largest and most overlooked taxpayer subsidy to Big Food in the farm bill is SNAP, which now represents more than ten percent of all grocery spending.”

So what exactly can SNAP recipients buy with their benefits? There are a few restrictions, against alcohol, and tobacco for instance. But curiously, most junk food is fair game, calling into question whether the “nutrition” in SNAP means much to lawmakers at all. Here are just a few of the items one can buy:

• Red Bull
• Sugary Soda
• Candy
• Mixes for alcoholic beverages
• Artificial sweetener

Of course, big agribusiness is complicit in the structure of the food stamp program. Simon gives the example of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s effort to bar food-stamp recipients from buying sugary soft drinks with SNAP dollars. Big companies like Pepsi and Coca-Cola fought back against the measure, which was ultimately vetoed by the Department of Agriculture, saying that the measure would be unworkable.

But take a look at the current restrictions the Agriculture Department places on food stamp use, and it’s difficult to understand why proscribing junk food purchases would be all that difficult. The list of items that one can’t buy with food stamps but that are also commonly found in supermarkets is extensive, including the aforementioned alcohol, but also pet food, ornamental gourds, and prepared foods. Why would barring junk food be functionally different than barring alcohol?

Hunger advocates have pushed back against food-stamp restrictions. But as Simon points out, Walmart and other corporate beneficiaries of SNAP spend millions of dollars each year funding anti-poverty groups. This is laudable, but it is also perhaps a way to fund advocacy initiatives that dovetail with these corporations profit motive as well.

If you receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits, better known as food stamps, you can buy most types of food at your local grocery store. Still, there are some restrictions on what you can buy, including alcohol, pet food and vitamin supplements. You also cannot buy hot, cooked food that you can eat on the premises.

Alcoholic Beverages

One thing you probably already know is that you cannot buy alcoholic beverages, including wine, beer or spirits, with food stamps. One exception to this rule is that you can buy cooking wine for use as a cooking ingredient. You can also buy nonalcoholic mixers, such as club soda or soft drinks with your food stamps.

Live Animals and Pet Food

Food stamps cannot be used for pet food, even if the food is for seeing-eye dogs or other service animals. Nor can you use food stamps to buy live animals, including chickens that could lay eggs, or animals that you plan to butcher for food.

Over-the-Counter Medicines

The food stamp program does not cover over-the-counter medicines and nutritional supplements. This includes items that you might suck, drink or chew, such as cough drops, and any item that has a “supplement facts” label printed on its packaging.

Hot Foods

If your supermarket has a deli or hot-food counter, you can't use your food stamps to buy any hot foods or prepared foods that you eat in the store. You also can't use your SNAP benefits to buy food that you will cook at the store, such as a frozen burrito that you cook in a convenience store's microwave. Certain approved charitable-meals programs for seniors, the homeless and the disabled are exceptions to this rule.

Food Preparation and Storage

You can't buy cooking equipment, canning supplies, plastic containers or food preservation items, such as dry ice, with your food stamps.

Ornamental Vegetables and Gift Foods

SNAP classifies pumpkins as a food, and you can use your food stamps to buy them. Inedible gourds used for decoration, on the other hand, don't qualify as a food, and you can't buy them with food stamps. If you buy a gift basket, the nonfood items cannot compose more than 50 percent of the basket's value. The same is also true of birthday or special occasion cakes decorated with figurines: You can buy one of these cakes with food stamps as long as its inedible decorations aren't worth more than the edible parts of the cake.

Gardening Supplies

While you can use your food stamps to buy seeds, saplings and food-bearing plants, you cannot use them to buy gardening or plant-growing supplies. For example, you can't buy fertilizer, plant food, bug spray or garden tools with your SNAP benefits.

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