Trends: More stores ousted from food stamp program

摘要

The number of stores permanently disqualified from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the food stamp program, shot up 23% from FY2013 to FY2014, for "trafficking" benefits, according to figures the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently provided Oil Express. In FY 2014, there were 1,496 stores - up from 1,214 stores in FY2013 - kicked out of the program for trafficking, an illegal act in which SNAP recipients exchange their benefits for cash or ineligible items. When trafficking involves cash, stores usually keep a portion of it.