Half of US children on Food Stamps

[SamIam]

CHICAGO – Nearly half of all U.S. children and 90 percent of black youngsters will be on food stamps at some point during childhood, and fallout from the current recession could push those numbers even higher, researchers say.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091102/...en_food_stamps

I had no idea that things were so bad. I am especially astonished at the number of black children. The article goes on to say:

The analysis was released Monday in the November issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. The authors say it's a medical issue pediatricians need to be aware of because children on food stamps are at risk for malnutrition and other ills linked with poverty.

I can understand that malnutrition might be a concern for those living in poverty without food stamps, but WITH food stamps? WTF?

Either the food stamp program does not go far enough or people who are on food stamps use them to buy soft drinks and chips. The article does not explain this.