SNAP Benefits Could Soon Be Used On Fast Food In Illinois
Though it may seem like a bad idea, you might change your mind when you read exactly WHO will qualify.
Many readers' heads probably exploded by the headline but it isn't all bad, I promise. According to ABC-20 in Springfield House Bill 3343 recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can use their "monthly allotment" to buy meals from restaurants, including fast food. Currently, SNAP is only allowed to be used at grocery stores and farmer's markets. As far as the possibility of purchasing fast food, there will be restrictions.
Only certain beneficiaries would qualify, as explained by State Representative Tom Demmer (R-Dixon) to News Channel 20.
Somebody who's homeless, for example, they don't have a place to prepare that food or somebody who's disabled, they're not able to come home and cook a meal themselves.
The Representative added his concern is the cost of fast food versus the cost of food from grocery stores.
The prices of foods at restaurants are higher than what it might be at the grocery store and so, there's a little bit of a trade-off there. So we want to make sure people aren't running out of benefits at the end of the month.
According to News Channel 20, Arizona and California already have a similar plan in place with restaurants like Subway.
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