MEAT the need: just total, absolute fail
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I’m not naive: I know that federal program directors and the meat & dairy industries have been cuddling in a big, comfortable, King Sized bed for decades.
But this is just insane.
The Washington DC-based National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) has come up with a plan to boost lagging sales of meat and dairy products: half of Americans report “cutting back” on their consumption of animal products in the last year.
The genius initiative is called MEAT the Need. Recipients of food stamps or other grocery subsidies (36 million people) would be given extra bucks – so long as they spent the money on animal products.
Handing out money that comes attached to a big, T-Bone string? This might actually be my worst nightmare. I’d continue to ramble, but Martha Rosenberg at AlterNet has summed it up quite nicely:
Is it really conscionable to dump products that the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association and almost every other health group say to limit on poorer people because no one else will eat them? To boost the economy? Because they have less choice? Especially when the products include processed meat, known for its carcinogenic potential?
Why not create a program called Light Their Need giving cigarette vouchers to the poor? Tobacco farmers probably need assistance too.
Word.
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This is about the silliest thing I have seen in a while. I suppose it’s also a boon to the healthcare industries as well, because they will have to care for additional illnesses of the folks that use this program.
Evranor: aha! Another industry that’ll benefit. I didn’t think of that. I was more concerned with the people falling ill and suffering shorter lifespans. As well as being burdened with medical bills they can’t pay.
An industry win-win. A human lose-lose.
This is outrageous! We’re supposed to dump unhealthy excess inventory on third-world nations, not on our own hungry people!! What is the world coming to?
This is appalling. I think the Feds should be forced to watch Food, Inc. The scene with family in the grocery store always gets me. The kids debate getting apples, but the parents say they’re too expensive and that chips and other “junk” food will fill them up for less $$. If anything, we should be giving Americans more food stamp dollars for produce!
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