[waitingforcorrection: no audio attached, invalid GUID] The number of Americans on Food Stamps is at an all-time high. According to the Food Research Action Center, more than 44 million Americans received Food Stamps in March 2011, the most recent data available. In most states, Food Stamps can’t be used in restaurants or for hot food — except in Arizona, Michigan and California. Now Kentucky might join those states in allowing Food Stamp recipients to use their benefits at fast food restaurants. We speak with Natalie Harris, the executive director of the Coalition for the Homeless in Louisville about this proposal. We then turn to Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition at New York University and author of “Safe Food: The Politics of Food Safety.” She joins us with ideas about how to change the Food Stamp program without bringing fast food companies into the mix.
The World is an independent newsroom. We’re not funded by billionaires; instead, we rely on readers and listeners like you. As a listener, you’re a crucial part of our team and our global community. Your support is vital to running our nonprofit newsroom, and we can’t do this work without you. Will you support The World with a gift today? Donations made between now and Dec. 31 will be matched 1:1. Thanks for investing in our work!