**Corporate America: The Forgotten Beneficiary of Food Assistance Programs**
A quick search for “EBT eligible food” on Amazon reveals a pantry stocked with non-essential items: Red Bull energy drinks, raw premium unpasteurized Manuka honey, organic ground coffee infused with lion’s mane mushroom, Oreo Sticks ‘N Creme (a product containing no actual cream), 2 lbs of Nutella hazelnut spread, and enormous bags of Halloween candy.
Walmart captures nearly a quarter of the money spent through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) on consumer packaged goods and general merchandise, according to a June report from Numerator. Other companies with a significant share of SNAP dollars include Kroger (8%), Costco (6%), and Amazon (5%).
That’s taxpayer money—from your paycheck—flowing to the supposedly needy, and then into the pockets of corporations like Walmart.
### Walmart Workers on Food Stamps
A sizable percentage of Walmart’s own employees are recipients of food stamps, according to a 2020 Government Accountability Office (GAO) study conducted at the request of independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. The Washington Post summarized the findings: “Walmart was one of the top four employers of SNAP and Medicaid beneficiaries in every state. McDonald’s was in the top five employers with employees receiving federal benefits in at least nine states.”
Senator Sanders has accused companies like Walmart and McDonald’s of relying on “corporate welfare from the federal government by paying their workers starvation wages,” according to the Post.
### SNAP Benefits Freeze and Political Reactions
About 42 million Americans receive SNAP benefits. These benefits are set to freeze come November due to the government shutdown. Democrats have characterized the freeze as a matter of life and death. Democratic New Mexico Representative Melanie Stansbury alleged on CNN, “They [Republicans] are going to let seniors, children, veterans, and millions of Americans starve.”
And yes, even the Skittles manufacturers have been caught up in this debate.
Starting in 2026, a slew of state-dependent restriction waivers will come into effect, limiting the purchase of certain non-essential items like sweetened drinks, candy, and energy drinks.
### SNAP Demographics and Spending Habits
Numerator notes that households receiving SNAP benefits are “skewing higher income,” with 23% of SNAP households earning $80,000 or more per year—a 6-point increase since 2020. Additionally, 65% of SNAP households do not have children, up 5 points from 2020.
The highest share of spending among SNAP shoppers goes to baby products. The next largest share, at 18%, is spent in limited-service restaurants such as McDonald’s and Taco Bell. In other words, your tax dollars are paying for their Chalupas.
One might argue there’s even a stronger case for subsidizing their Pilates classes, judging by the size of some individuals publicly complaining about losing their food stamps.
### Welfare Usage Among Illegal Immigrants
Another notable point: About 59% of illegal immigrant households use welfare, according to a March report from the Center for Immigration Studies. Approximately 48% of illegal immigrant households use food-related welfare—including SNAP, the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, and free or reduced-price school meals—compared to 25% of native households.
### The Real Issue
Food stamps are intended to provide temporary assistance during times of dire need—not a government-guaranteed lifetime supply of fast food and candy bars. Yet, the left shows little criticism of the junk food manufacturers benefitting from this system and even less consideration of how to encourage SNAP recipients to become self-sufficient.
Instead, they demand continued funding for this forced charity program, indefinitely and without question.
https://dailycaller.com/2025/10/29/donald-trump-food-stamps-assistance-program-walmart-mcdonalds-junk-food-snap-corporations/