The New York Times set off a kind of firestorm with a front-page story on food stamps, or SNAP benefits. The story pushed the claim that soft drinks are the number one purchase for households that use SNAP. It turns out that the Times did a rather loose job at interpreting the data, and critics say the article became a vehicle to malign Americans in poverty.
So we start there: what did the article get right, and what did it get wrong? And then we discuss the best ways to promote access to healthy food for everyone. Our guests:
- Mitch Gruber, chief program officer for Foodlink
- Mike Bulger, healthy communities coordinator for the Healthi Kids program at Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency
- Leverett Copeland, SNAP recipient and healthy living ambassador
