Introduction

David Paul Morris/Bloomberg News

Nearly 50 million Americans rely on food stamps -- now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program -- and the federal costs are spiking accordingly. While the rising rolls can be linked to increasing joblessness, many low-wage workers also rely on the benefits. Some anti-hunger advocates would like to make it easier for them to use food stamps, by relaxing rules forbidding their use to buy fast food.

What would be wrong with giving people the right to use their food stamps at fast-food places? What do we know about the nutritional habits of the program's recipients?