The Wall Street Journal's Big Fat Lie
How Republicans' latest fight into banning junk food is a dumb hill to die on
The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board stated that three-quarters of adult SNAP participants are obese or overweight. I reread it 5 times to make sure I hadn’t become illiterate.
The Claim
The Paper Trail
Once confirming that I indeed had not become illiterate (which I guess means I cannot work at the WSJ), I dove into where they got this number. The editorial cites to this report by far-right group The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA).
Color me surprised to see something completely different from what was reported in the WSJ. I double-checked FGA’s source to make sure. Footnote 49 takes us to: https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood-obesity-facts/childhood-obesity-facts.html. There is nothing on the Center for Disease Control (CDC) webpage that addresses the 74 percent figure, it’s the wrong page.
Does that mean the Foundation for Government Accountability are not being accountable to themselves?
The gasp I gusped!
I couldn’t find a recent CDC reference to the 74% claim, but did find it in a recent study, not seemingly affiliated with CDC.
Readers, be careful what you read out there and in here. Always check and double-check.
Why it Matters
Let’s explore one of the many flaws of restricting what people can buy with SNAP benefits. The average SNAP benefit is $6.16 per person per day. Healthier/fresh foods are the most expensive foods in the store. Preventing someone from buying a $1.50 soda does not suddenly make the $5/pound chicken or the $3 head of lettuce affordable. Preventing someone from buying a $2 candy bar at a convenience store in rural America doesn’t magically make fresh produce appear.
Restrictions make healthier foods neither affordable nor accessible.
To make healthier foods affordable, we can fully fund incentive programs that provide dollar-for-dollar matches when SNAP participants buy produce. To make healthier foods accessible, we can … well, that’s the billion-dollar question. If you have an idea on how to solve for that, then feel free to share in the comments and we’ll split the profits. Otherwise, if you have seen creative ways to get fresh produce into rural parts of the country, feel free to share.
Is your state flirting with a junk food ban?
Check the map below. The darker the purple, the busier the legislature. Click here for source of the map and to read more.
Here’s an email template to customize and send to lawmakers if you live in one of those states:
Subject: Protect SNAP — Real Solutions Beat “Junk-Food Bans”
Dear Senator / Delegate [Last Name],
I’m writing as a constituent to urge you to oppose any measure that restricts what Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants can buy and instead support proven strategies that actually improve health.
Average benefits are only $6.16 per person, per day. Blocking a $1.50 soda doesn’t make a $5.00 pound of chicken or a $3.00 head of lettuce suddenly affordable.
Access is as big a barrier as price. Many rural and low-income neighborhoods lack full-service grocery stores altogether.
What works instead
Push Congress to fully fund produce-incentive programs (e.g., Double Up Food Bucks)—they give SNAP customers a dollar-for-dollar match on fruits and vegetables, effectively cutting produce prices in half.
Expand healthy-food access through mobile markets, farm-to-corner-store initiatives, and delivery-fee waivers for rural ZIP codes.
Invest in nutrition education and retailer partnerships that make the healthy choice the easy, visible choice at checkout.
Our ask
Vote NO on bills that restrict SNAP purchases. They stigmatize families, add red tape for retailers, and do nothing to lower the price or increase the availability of nutritious food.
Support budget or legislative vehicles that expand produce incentives and rural-access pilots. These approaches enjoy bipartisan backing and measurable results.
Hunger is a policy choice—not a product of individual shopping lists. I hope you’ll champion evidence-based solutions that respect SNAP participants’ dignity and health.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Street Address]
[City, State ZIP]
[Email] • [Phone]
These idiots are at it again with their simpleton logic. Food insecurity is a real issue and a lot of the republican policies do nothing to address it. The WSJ should be sued for libel!
This whole line of thinking begins with demonizing an actual disease: obesity and its other well-known companion, diabetes. The idea that body weight is somehow evidence of purity or right-thinking or controllable with 'enough focus' has been long with us -- despite being disproven time and again by the medical and scientific communities.