Under the government's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, low-income individuals receive monthly deposits on an electronic account, accessible by a debit card, that allows them to purchase food and drinks. These payments are colloquially known as "food stamps," after the coupons that were formerly distributed. To qualify, the individual must not have more than $2,000 in resources, although the elderly or disabled can have up to $3,000. Recipients must follow a number of guidelines for purchases.
Features
Food stamps are intended for the purchase of groceries. This means that recipients can use food stamps to get all types of food, except for pet food, alcohol or hot food, such as would be sold by a restaurant or deli. You cannot use food stamps to buy other household items, such as toothpaste, soap, toilet paper or cigarettes, as well as non-food items that are ingested, such as vitamins and medicine.
Location
Food stamps are only redeemable at stores that are equipped to accept them. Generally, these stores must be approved by the state government to accept food stamps and given the appropriate equipment. Food stamps are issued in the form of a debit card. Stores that accept food stamps must be equipped with a machine capable of reading these cards.
Additional Requirements
Although you cannot use food stamps to purchase live animals, even those intended for consumption, you can use them to purchase plants or seeds to grow food. In addition, food stamps are O.K. for purchasing energy drinks that have a nutritional information label, but not those with a supplement facts label, as these are considered supplements, not food. Gift baskets and birthday cakes are eligible for purchase so long as non-food items do not make up more than 50 percent of their value.
Redemption
When purchasing both food and non-food items, many stores will automatically separate the items into two receipts. One receipt will have the amount that can be paid for in food stamps, and the other will show the amount that must be paid for through other means. It is illegal to sell food stamps for cash or exchange them for other items.
Potential
Occasionally, new regulations address what people can use food stamps to purchase. In October 2010, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York Gov. David Paterson sought permission from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to ban the use of food stamps to purchase sugary soda. In 2004, the U.S.D.A. rejected a proposal by Minnesota to ban the use of food stamps for purchasing junk food.
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