New Red Spinach and SNAP Participation Down

New Red Spinach and SNAP Participation Down

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with your Agribusiness Update.

**In a development a plant breeder says will "bring excitement to the spinach market," the USDA has released what it calls the world's first true “red spinach.”

Known as USDA Red, the new spinach variety was developed at the department's facility in Salinas, California.

Other types of spinach have had red veins, but the new variety has red leaves, and also boasts higher antioxidant levels than other spinach varieties.

**The percentage of residents participating in SNAP has decreased in 46 states.

According to agrimarketing.com, USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides food buying benefits to households with limited incomes.

In fiscal 2018, an average of 40.3 million low-income individuals per month received SNAP benefits, down from 15% in 2013 to 12.3% in 2018.

At 36%, Idaho showed the sharpest decline in percent of SNAP participants.

https://www.agrimarketing.com/s/127156

**The nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom placed a full-page New York Times ad last week that quotes nutrition and medical professionals on plant-based meat’s healthiness, or lack thereof.

At a time when 76% of Americans think “plant-based” foods are healthy, CCF is pointing to experts who urge caution about fake meat.

Companies that manufacture meat equivalents are trying to latch on to clean eating trends by calling their products “plant-based,” when in reality, these ultra-processed products, which can have dozens of ingredients, are made in factories.

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