Would This Happen in Somerville? Refusing to Accept EBT Cards at Farmers Market
A pie vendor refuses to accept EBT cards at a farmers market in Braintree. What do you think?
“I don’t think American taxpayers should be footing the bill for people’s pie purchases,” Andrea Taber, proprietor of the Ever So Humble Pie Co. in Walpole, told bostonherald.com.
Taber sells her pies at the Braintree Farmers Market, yet refuses to accept tokens that the Farmers Market organizers sell to Electronic Benfits Transfer or EBT cardholders to use at the market.
Farmers Market chairwoman Donna Ingemanson said that people on food stamps needed healthy choices and asked the Boston Herald, "What better chance to buy healthy foods than at a farmers market?"
Somerville has several farmers markets that accept EBT cards.
Should food vendors be able to decide who they sell their products to? Do you think that farmers markets should sell tokens to EBT cardholders? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
NoTyme4BS
6:24 am on Monday, August 20, 2012
I dont think they should be allowed to. The state refuses to allow foodstamps to be use on Precooked food that was cooked in the supermarket.
Jodie Dow-Novaes
7:19 am on Monday, August 20, 2012
they don't have the right to dictate what other people buy or eat - even if they do think it is unhealthy. and if the pies are so "unhealthy", perhaps they should not be allowed to sell them at a farmer's market?
Matt C
8:14 am on Monday, August 20, 2012
I think that the business should decide if they want to accept food stamps or not - beyond that they should comply with the law.
They cant decide not to sell to one person because they are paying with food stamps or vs cash. The case were you have the farmers market exchanging tokens for food stamps is a bit trickier because the decision is by the farmers market not the individual vendor and therefor should be decided in the contract the vendors sign. It does not need to be any more complicated then that. There also needs to be enforcement on what people are buying with them to make sure they comply with the rules set by the state.
Laura
9:38 am on Monday, August 20, 2012
Everyone should be able to eat fresh local food.
Matt C
10:20 am on Monday, August 20, 2012
I dont think that anyone is denying that Everyone should be able to eat fresh local food - The bigger question is twofold
- Should a vendor be able to decide if they want to participate in the food stamp program.
- Should a vendor participating in the program be able to determine what products they are selling are eligible to be purchased with food stamps.
My own belief is that a vendor should be able to choose to participate, but if they do choose they should have to follow the rules set by the program, not make their own.
wenzday
4:53 pm on Monday, August 20, 2012
absolutely. vendors should decide who they sell their products to.