Wisconsin Bill Would Treat Organic Milk, Sharp Cheddar, Brown Eggs as "Junk Food"

[TheMightyFavog]

http://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/05/12095/wisconsin-bill-would-treat-organic-milk-sharp-cheddar-brown-eggs-junk-food

Wisconsin's AB 110 would mandate that two-thirds of a person's FoodShare benefits could be spent only on foods on the WIC-approved list. Exemptions have been added so recipients can also purchase fish, beef, pork, chicken, and potatoes. Strangely, exemptions were not added so that the "healthy" two-thirds could also be spent on a full range of healthy Wisconsin farm products and fresh food.

The result is that the bulk of your FoodShare dollars can be spent on milk, but not organic milk; on eggs, but only on white eggs by the dozen, not on brown, free-range, or organic eggs; on 100 percent whole wheat bread, but not on gluten-free bread for those with Celiac disease; on slices of American cheese, but not sharp cheddar. FoodShare dollars can be spent on dry beans, but not if they come from a money-saving bulk bin at your local food coop. You can get juice boxes for your children, but only Juicy Juice brand juice boxes.

[Lifelong Protester]

1. I am so embarrassed for my state

Wonder what the 'logic' is behind this (I assume rampant corporatism).

[TheMightyFavog]

2. "I don't want no welfare people livin' high off the hog on fancy expensive organic food my dime!"

"Why can't they just get a bag of cheap beans at walmart?"

I've actually seen people say shit like this on newspaper comments sections whenever they would run stories about accepting EBT ar Farmer's markets. I'm sure the people sponsoring this bill are trying to appeal to those idiots.

I'm surprised that they are not listening to the Grocers trade groups (Which tend to favor GOPers, like most business trade groups). They usually don't want to be bothered with the trouble and expense of enforcing restrictions like these.

[Half-Century Man]

5. If I'm having so much fun.......

To anyone who thinks disability, food stamps, food pantries, section 8, or the pittance of public health care is an any way satisfying........GIVE IT A FUCKING TRY

[JustAnotherGen]

7. I feel for your situation

And thank you for speaking up about it. I've NEVER understood people that think poverty is 'fun' and something that some people aspire to. I've never been in that situation myself -but I was born with an empathy chip.

[Half-Century Man]

9. Reduced to this state from middle class.

I won my current "luxurious" position by surviving industrial poisoning, leukemia, fifty orbits of our local star, corporate restructuring through distance, cronyism, and lawyers.

[freshwest]

15. Rampant corporatism that will shut down smaller business and no regard for health.

[nineteen50]

19. "THe business of big business is to

keep small business from doing business."

[freshwest]

20. So much for that lie about the GOP protecting small business, huh? And free markets? Not so much...

[Ikonoklast]

23. Mealy-mouther GOP liars only give lip service to small businesses

then turn right around and hand over the means for Big Business to stomp them all flat.

[freshwest]

25. Yes - and I noticed that a number of small businesses complained as the GOP cut funding for the SBA.

They are learning the truth. The GOP Wisconsin and Michigan models are horrendous for the American small business and everyone else.

And it's all legal now! They demagogued with Koch money until they got their way and still have plenty of supporters. It is textbook brownshirting.

It's a sad day for this country, one of many to come, unless we stay involved. I hope that Badgers come out in force as the people of Oklahoma and Missouri did on other issues recently.

[Half-Century Man]

4. Dear Gov. Walker

Methinks thou art an asshole. May the twin blessings of gout and hemorrhoids come into your house. Actually I just hope whatever monies acquired through bribes, kickbacks, or questionable practices vanishes, goes fucking poof.

[ReRe]

6. Food is food, damnit!

What has happened to Wisconsin? Yeah, I know Scott Walker is up there tearing the place up. But this really goes beyond all that. Hmmm. Wonder what MO will say about this? This is like kicking a dog when it's down, actually.
Can you imagine how those poverty-stricken mothers are going to feel about this?

[HappyMe]

8. I don't think they should be

putting those things on the junk list. However, when you only have a tiny pittance to spend on food, I personally wouldn't be spending $5 on a gallon of organic milk.

[Half-Century Man]

10. Where it hurts

Bulk foods, cheese (made from milk, not hydrogenated vegetable oil [cheese food my ass]), and eggs.
I guess it's "fuck em and feed em hot dogs"

[HappyMe]

11. It's stupid and sad.

[Triana]

12. So the pre-packaged, pre-processed food giants are in bed with the state

Thus, fresh, bulk, natural (non-processed) or organic food is out, apparently. How conveeeenient for those corprats who sell prepackaged, processed Cheez-Wiz and such.

[DCKit]

24. The bill was probably written by ALEC. nt

[Zorra]

13. This is what government of, by, and for, the transnational corporations looks like. nt

[Wellstone ruled]

14. Embarassed to say I'am from Wisconsin.

Wow,Dean Foods and Cargill along with Monsanto have totally killed the AG business in Wisconsin. All of the Dairies are now controlled by Dean Foods withone expectation,Organic Valley. You knew this was coming,all of the School contracts in the South East were given to a Dean subsidiary by Walker Cronies. Organic gives to Dem causes,along with some of the small Cheese Makers(sharp cheddar),this gives Sargento(Kraft) the wide open market. These assholes control the Cheese Exchange in Green Bay,just more theft be the 1%ers. Nothing more than baybacks for the Walker thugs.

[freshwest]

16. I hope that the people will turn out in force to defeat this bill.

[KamaAina]

17. Who would ever have thought that Wisconsin would declare war on cheese?

Silly repukes.

[Scuba]

18. Sadly, most are focused on the cheddar ban. The real tragedy is the right's punishing of the poor..

... which is red meat to their base.

[HereSince1628]

27. And within that, the poor they punish may very well turn out to be themselves.

Many people are an accident or illness away from financial devastation. These things don't only happen to the bad or stupid people that the bigots bad-mouth as typical SNAP users.

I've been involved helping a neighbor couple with yard work, I've learned they are eligible but refuse to use SNAP because it would be too humiliating for them. Even with the credit card system they don't feel that they could hand it to a poor working class part-time cashier in the discount grocery.

They fear being seen as the sort of people they've been prejudiced against all their lives, as they say if they used SNAP they couldn't live with themselves.

The social stigma they've bought into over their working lives is now turned against their own interests.

[Scuba]

28. Yep, many will be hurt by Walker but blame someone else. Blind obedience.

[hobbit709]

21. The only difference between white eggs and brown eggs is the breed of chicken.

The color of shell has absolutely nothing to do with what the chicken eats.

[egold2604]

29. brown vs white eggs

the majority of white eggs are laid by white leghorn chickens which are smaller than the breeds that lay brown eggs (btw all chicken breeds that have a red crest lay brown eggs). Since the leghorn is smaller, the processors can get more chickens in a cage increasing productivity. The chicken is used for one year until they molt and then they are killed and turned into dog and cat food and cattle feed.

[bvar22]

33. I'm not sure you mean by red "crest".

Google says that a chicken "crest" is the same as the "comb".

We had some Brown Leghorns with beautiful Red Floppy Combs
that laid white eggs. The Leghorns were nice, friendly birds and were great layers,
but on the small side.

I've always been taught to look at their ears.
Whatever color the ears are will determine what color the eggs will be,
and Brown Leghorns have white ears.

We keep anywhere from 8 - 20 free range chickens of several breeds,
and we let our hens retire in comfort.
After they stop laying, the eat very little food.


We will never be able to go back to those pale, anemic, tasteless Factory Eggs sold at the super market.

On Edit:
In Exhaustive personal Blind Tests,
neither my Wife nor I could tell the difference between White Eggs and Brown Eggs
in either Appearance or Taste once the shells were removed,
and according to the research in Mother Earth News and other "Organic" "Free Range" publications, there is no difference in nutrition either.

We currently don't have any Leghorns, but would be happy to keep some in the future,
however we will avoid White Birds of any breed because they make too obvious targets for hawks and eagles.

[Le Taz Hot]

22. One of our local farmers markets is a 2 for 1

for every $1.00 of food coupons you buy you get $2.00 worth of food. (CA) Wisconsin is still a farm/dairy state is it not?

[madrchsod]

26. there`s always a way to get what you need...

we used wic a long time a long time ago and we bartered and traded wic purchases. we qualified for food card for the last few months so we are back into the economic underground. where i live food cards used to go for 50 cts. on the dollar now it`s up to 60 cts.

[Cha]

30. That would be awful.. whose sick idea is this?

Last edited Mon May 6, 2013, 07:08 PM - Edit history (1)

This is exactly right!

As Bill Approaches Vote, Public Input Needed

According to the Associated Press, the Assembly committee heard input from food companies, grocery stores, and food banks. They told Wisconsin lawmakers that restrictions "would shame recipients and burden businesses with enforcement." Democrats on the committee -- who voted against the measure -- said it "would stigmatize poor people who already have limited options in buying food."

thanks for posting, TMF

Edit: changed "who's" to "whose"

[reformist2]

31. What are they even talking about - most cheeses are the same price!

[bvar22]

32. Sounds like Welfare for the Giant Factory Food Corporations.

[Generic Other]

34. cRAZY controlling nutz

Isn't Juicy Juice a Nestle product? The company that has been accused of forced child labor, illegal practices? Tricking third world mothers into using formula rather than breastfeed? Figures they made the approved list.

And you would force your citizens to eat processed cheese in the land of plenty? You do know that if they call them American slices, they don't even have to have cheese in them. Slices are technically goo spread between pieces of plastic where it solidifies. I would assume such food was illegal in Wisconsin.

Why don't these knuckleheads just make the law they really want? Call it the Charity Case Gruel Law. "It is hereby declared that no food vouchers distributed to the poor of Wisconsin should be spent on anything that tastes too appetizing because charity in Wisconsin shall never be misconstrued as pleasurable or desirable lest it become luxury. Items provided should be bland, bitter or unappetizing. They should be made of scraps mechanically separated and turned into a pink goo to be re-constituted into edible food. The ingredients of the foodstuffs should include only the most undesirable portions. Those who are given charity food will only buy products generically labeled 'Charity Food' designated for their use. All other options are denied." Signed Governor "I Don't Recall but I am still an asshole" in Wisconsin.

[SoCalDem]

35. At the bottom line. it always comes down to money

Unfortunately, our food has become so processed/corporatized, that what was once NORMAL food now costs a premium price just to have the crap NOT put into it.

Anything "organic" automatically comes with a higher price tag, so of course any "program" will probably exempt them due to the cost per calorie.

Sharp and specialty cheeses come with a higher price than plain old cheddar..

That WIC voucher gets redeemed by the store, so naturally a right wing government will always want the least cost.

A better way might be to put an upper limit for redemption, so if a customer wants to pay the extra (for health reasons), they would have that choice.