7.8K views · 402 reactions | FACTS OVER FEELINGS. VC: shipwreck #ebt #snap #governmentshutdown |...

Billy, while it is true that a significant portion of the EBT program is spent on 'junk food', this gives the implication that the entire program is a waste, which is not true, and that it is universal in the program (which it isn't).

The largest purchase percentage by category is meat, poultry and seafood which makes up about 1/5th of all purchases. Overall about 40% of the purchases in the SNAP program are for basic items such as meat, fruits, vegetables, milk, eggs and bread.

According to the USDA, the purchase patterns of those in SNAP are very similar to non-SNAP households* (the laydown is from 2016, but looking through the details on the USDA website*, the breakdown hasn't changed significantly).

One thing that there is large bipartisan agreement on is further restricting certain categories of items that can be purchased using an EBT. Many states (12 at last count) have planned implementation (beginning of next year) some level of restriction for purchases using an EBT, with the most common prohibitions being on soda and candy.

Much like the 'cell phone bans' in schools, I can see the restrictions snowballing as they are implemented.
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* USDA - Food typically purchased by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Households - https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/ops/SNAPFoodsTypicallyPurchased-Summary.pdf
* USDA - FNS Documents & Resources - https://www.fns.usda.gov/resources

So, taking the high end of each number given, they all add up to about $6.4B, or about 6% of all SNAP/EBT purchases for that year.

How is 6% the "number one purchase"?

FYI, Coca Cola does own Minute Maid, the largest fruit juice producer in the world.

These are really fair questions. It appears from looking at the entity which made this that political reels are really all they do. Do you have any references at all that corroborate their assertions? They may be absolutely true, but I would like to see real research on this rather than a Facebook reel.