This week, senators introduced what they're calling the Hot Rotisserie Chicken Act, which would make the supermarket staple an eligible purchase under the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program.
Also causes a lot of confusion for more niche products. For example, my local store has glass bottles of milk where you can return the bottles to get some money back, but EBT doesn’t cover the cost of the bottle, even though the milk itself is cheaper than the other milk options when you factor in the value from returning the bottle.
Everyone on EBT either needs extra cash to pay the bottle deposit, or they spend more money on milk.
Legally speaking, that store could get in big trouble. That’s why my local store doesn’t do it. That’d be equivalent to them letting you exchange your SNAP benefits for cash, since the bottle could be redeemed for money/credit.
Idk if it may be different in other states, but in California all taxes, including recycling CRV, are waived when using SNAP. It wouldn’t make sense for food money paid by taxes to just go back into the pool of taxes. The only returnable bottles I have seen are over at the grocery store across the street from me, and they require coming back to that same store with a receipt, so I don’t think I could redeem them for free cash.
It doesn’t really matter how much they’re worth, it’s considered an exchange of SNAP benefits for goods or cash not covered by the program. In my area they’re a few bucks, which isn’t nothing, but even if they were worth less, the store could permanently lose its ability to take SNAP payments if they were found selling the returnable bottles for SNAP credit.
Also causes a lot of confusion for more niche products. For example, my local store has glass bottles of milk where you can return the bottles to get some money back, but EBT doesn’t cover the cost of the bottle, even though the milk itself is cheaper than the other milk options when you factor in the value from returning the bottle.
Everyone on EBT either needs extra cash to pay the bottle deposit, or they spend more money on milk.
I’ve been on SNAP and have never had to pay for the bottles.
For returnable ones?
Legally speaking, that store could get in big trouble. That’s why my local store doesn’t do it. That’d be equivalent to them letting you exchange your SNAP benefits for cash, since the bottle could be redeemed for money/credit.
Idk if it may be different in other states, but in California all taxes, including recycling CRV, are waived when using SNAP. It wouldn’t make sense for food money paid by taxes to just go back into the pool of taxes. The only returnable bottles I have seen are over at the grocery store across the street from me, and they require coming back to that same store with a receipt, so I don’t think I could redeem them for free cash.
Yes, for returnable ones. And no, it wouldn’t. Do you know how much those bottles are worth? Almost nothing.
It doesn’t really matter how much they’re worth, it’s considered an exchange of SNAP benefits for goods or cash not covered by the program. In my area they’re a few bucks, which isn’t nothing, but even if they were worth less, the store could permanently lose its ability to take SNAP payments if they were found selling the returnable bottles for SNAP credit.