Food stamps, follow the money: Are corporations profiting from hungry Americans?

Most public discussions regarding whether or not to restrict SNAP (food stamps)purchases (for items such as soft drinks) have pitted public health groups against anti-hunger advocates. But left out of the conversation has been the role of the food industry. By far the largest component of the farm bill, SNAP represents a $72 billion subsidy to the food industry. And yet, we have relatively little information about how that tax money gets spent. The presentation will explain how the soft drink industry lobbied against the New York waiver application in 2011 and continues to lobby in state legislatures around the nation to maintain the status quo. How much the food industry benefits from SNAP spending is critical to the ongoing discussion regarding potential restriction of those benefits. Methods include researching corporate lobbying how much companies benefit from SNAP.