Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Latest from Food Politics: A national scandal: millions of U.S. workers rely on Medicaid and SNAP

The Government Accountability Office reports: Federal Social Safety Net Programs: Millions of Workers, Including Many Employed by Large Employers, Continue to Rely on Medicaid and SNAP. To learn more about the working adults who used these programs in ...
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By Marion Nestle

A national scandal: millions of U.S. workers rely on Medicaid and SNAP

The Government Accountability Office reports: Federal Social Safety Net Programs: Millions of Workers, Including Many Employed by Large Employers, Continue to Rely on Medicaid and SNAP.

To learn more about the working adults who used these programs in 2024, we analyzed employment data from 11 states and Census data.

We found:

  • About two-thirds worked full time
  • Most worked for private sector employers
  • Workers were largely in transportation, restaurants and food prep, and retail sales jobs
  • Some employers in selected states had thousands of beneficiaries on their payrolls

This is one of the findings:

According to GAO’s analysis of state-level data for September 2025, the employers with the most nondisabled, nonelderly Medicaid enrollees or SNAP beneficiaries varied across the 11 states that provided data. However, 46 companies (about one-third of the total companies across all 11 states) were among the top 25 employers of Medicaid enrollees or SNAP beneficiaries in at least two states. Seventeen of these 46 companies were among the 50 largest Fortune 500 companies by number of employees.

Here is an example of some actual data:

Comment

What this report tells us is that the richest food companies in the United States are paying such low wages that their employees must rely on government assistance to get by.  This means that we taxpayers are subsidizing rich corporations and enabling them to continue to profit at the expense of their workers.  I didn’t see much written about this report when it appeared.  It deserves wide circulation.

The post A national scandal: millions of U.S. workers rely on Medicaid and SNAP appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle

Now Available: What to Eat Now

My new book, What to Eat Now, is officially out!

It's both a field guide to food shopping in America and a reflection on how to eat well—and deliciously.

For more information and to order, click here.

You can explore the full archive of this (almost) daily blog at foodpolitics.comwhere you'll also find information about my books, articles, media interviews, upcoming lectures, favorite resources, and FAQs.


​​​​​​​

Marion Nestle

Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University, Emerita


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Monday, August 17, 2026

Latest from Food Politics: Industry-funded study of the week: dog food

Thanks to Phyllis Entis of eFoodAlert. com for this one. The Study: Minimally processed, human-grade diet alters canine epigenetic ageing: Results from a pilot study. Aimee Chen,  Wei Guo,  Janina A. Krumbeck,  Dan Su,  Vincent Michels,  Xiaojing ...
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By Marion Nestle

Industry-funded study of the week: dog food

Thanks to Phyllis Entis of eFoodAlert.com for this one.

  • The Study: Minimally processed, human-grade diet alters canine epigenetic ageing: Results from a pilot study. Aimee ChenWei GuoJanina A. KrumbeckDan SuVincent MichelsXiaojing Yang.  First published: 05 August 2026.  https://doi.org/10.1002/vro2.70047
  • Results: Dogs fed with MPHGF diet [minimally processed, human-grade food] exhibited a significant reduction in delta age, decreasing from 2.75 to 1.80 years over 6 months (p = 0.02), indicating a trend of slowed epigenetic ageing. In contrast, dogs fed with EDK diet [extruded dry kibble] exhibited no significant change in epigenetic ageing (p = 0.86).

  • Conclusion: This study demonstrates the potential for dietary interventions to influence epigenetic ageing in dogs and provides a practical, quantitative framework for investigating healthy ageing in companion animals.

  • Funding: This study was funded by JustFoodForDogs, Inc. and involved food provided by the company.

  • Conflict of interest: The authors declare they have no conflicts of interest. Dan Su and Vincent Michels are employees of JustFoodforDogs who funded the study.

Comment: I hardly know what to make of the Conflict of Interest statement here.  The authors declare no COI, but they are employed by the funder of the study, JustFoodForDogs, which has much to gain from demonstrating that its products improve dog longevity.  The authors must not consider this a COI.  I do.

 

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Arriving Sept 8. For a 30% discount, pre-order here using code UCPSAVE30.

The post Industry-funded study of the week: dog food appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle

Now Available: What to Eat Now

My new book, What to Eat Now, is officially out!

It's both a field guide to food shopping in America and a reflection on how to eat well—and deliciously.

For more information and to order, click here.

You can explore the full archive of this (almost) daily blog at foodpolitics.comwhere you'll also find information about my books, articles, media interviews, upcoming lectures, favorite resources, and FAQs.


​​​​​​​

Marion Nestle

Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University, Emerita


© Marion Nestle. You're receiving this email because you've signed up to receive updates from us.

If you'd prefer not to receive updates, you can unsubscribe.


Latest from Food Politics: A national scandal: millions of U.S. workers rely on Medicaid and SNAP

The Government Accountability Office reports: Federal Social Safety Net Programs: Millions of Workers, Including Many Employed by Large Em...