Taxpayers are furious after it emerged luxury foods including $145 caviar and $50 olive oil are available to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries.
The federal program, also known as food stamps, mainly helps make sure children have food to eat, and it covers purchases of all fresh foods, including fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy products, and more.
But many have been stunned to learn that high-end goods such as lobster tail and wagyu beef are also being subsidized through the program, which costs the government roughly $8billion a month.
Economic analyst Amy Nixon highlighted the gourmet goods currently available for purchase using an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card on Amazon.
‘Why are our tax dollars subsidizing lobster for SNAP recipients?’ the economic analyst wrote on X. ‘The median income taxpayer is cutting coupons for ground beef. They only dream of buying fresh lobster.’
She posted a photo showing a single Lobster Tail available for $9.99 through Whole Foods Market, which is partnered with Amazon.
Other items that are available under SNAP include a nearly $51 can of Filippo Berio Pure Olive Oil on Amazon, Barrier Island Oysters for $1 a piece, $145 Caviar Russe Osetra, and $67.23 Wagyu Strip Steaks weighing less than a pound at Wegmans.
‘Allowing a government benefit program to cover high-end items like caviar, lobster, and filet mignon provides incentive for fraudulent applications and abuse, which both stigmatizes and jeopardizes the integrity of the entire program,’ Nixon told the Daily Mail.
Amy Nixon took to X to complain that SNAP beneficiaries could use their benefits to purchase luxury food items, such as lobster tail
Some items available for SNAP is $145 caviar at Wegmans
Nixon said she has no hatred towards ‘poor people,’ but rather that she believes the government program is ‘wasteful’ due to being ‘loosely audited.’
‘As an economist, I look for the most efficient way to achieve the objectives of public sector programs.
‘The objective of SNAP is supplemental NUTRITION assistance,’ she said. How can we best get nutritious, nourishing foods into the hands of vulnerable people who need them, while discouraging fraud and abuse in the system?
‘While lobster tails are a whole, nutritious food, at $40 per pound, it means the remainder of meals for the month will be meager nutritional vacuums, like ramen noodles, or even skipped.
Nixon believes that the best way forward is for the program to ‘provide access to healthy, whole foods that have an economical ratio of macros per dollar cost.’
‘This enables families in need to feed their children nutritious meals throughout the entire month, satiating hunger and maintaining steady energy levels so they can focus in school, play sports, and ultimately feel their best every day,’ she told the Daily Mail.
While many agreed with Nixon’s post, others pointed out that the SNAP recipients are within their rights to spend their benefit as they choose.
‘Fascinating that we are now justifying that poor people shouldn’t get to eat lobster,’ Dr Danish Nagda, founder of Rezilient Health replied.
President Donald Trump hands out candy to children ahead of SNAP being cut off on Saturday. SNAP has come to the forefront of Americans’ minds as 42 million are set to lose their benefits on November 1 as the US government remains shut down
In a statement to the Daily Mail, Nixon said: ‘While lobster tails are a whole, nutritious food, at $40 per pound, it means the remainder of meals for the month will be meager nutritional vacuums, like ramen noodles, or even skipped’
SNAP beneficiaries can also purchase wagyu beef with their benefits. In the latest Department of Agriculture (USDA) data, 41,735,210 Americans were on SNAP benefits in May 2025, accounting for roughly 22.4 million households
‘This is honestly a bit sad to see folks look down on people like this. Who cares how they spend their fixed SNAP budget?’
Amazon and its partners started accepting SNAP in 2017. Those with EBT, the card used to purchase SNAP items, can also enjoy 50 percent off Amazon’s grocery delivery subscription, which costs $9.99 a month at full price, and a Prime membership.
There are some stipulations to the program, recipients cannot purchase pet food, beer, wine, or liquor, food or drinks containing CBD, or food that are sold hot, such as a rotisserie chicken.
Latest Department of Agriculture (USDA) data indicates 41,735,210 Americans received SNAP benefits in May 2025, accounting for roughly 22.4 million households.
The average benefit per beneficiaries was $188.45 per month, costing taxpayers $7.8billion in the month of May.
In the 2024 fiscal year, the government spent $99.8billion on SNAP that went out to 41.7 million people, averaging $187.20 a month.
Many of the states with the highest number of participants are in the South or in high-cost-of-living states like New York and California.
The average benefit per beneficiaries was $188.45 per month, costing taxpayers $7.8billion in the month of May
Oysters are also available through SNAP. The program, also known as food stamps, covers purchases of all fresh foods, including fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy products, and more
In 2023, 38.8 percent of beneficiaries were children. The largest category was adults aged 18 to 59, accounting for 41.6 percent. Seniors accounted for 11.1 percent.
SNAP has come to the forefront of Americans’ minds as 42 million are set to lose their benefits on November 1 amid the ongoing US government shut down.
On Friday, two federal judges ruled nearly simultaneously that President Donald Trump’s administration must continue to pay for SNAP using emergency reserve funds, however disruption to the benefit is still anticipated for many.
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) could be similarly impacted as early as next week.
WIC is a specialized food assistance program geared toward pregnant women, new mothers, and young children.
The Trump administration has already rerouted $300million in proceeds from tariff revenue to provide additional funding to keep the program afloat after previously allocated funds were scheduled to run out earlier in October.
Amid the political dysfunction in Washington DC which many fear could lead to the longest government shutdown in history, some governors, particularly in red states, have decided to step up and provide food benefits.
Governors of Virginia, Vermont, and Louisiana have ‘pledged to backfill food aid for recipients even while the shutdown stalls the federal program, though state-level details haven’t been announced,’ per the Associated Press.
California Governor Gavin Newsom and New York Governor Kathy Hochul, both Democrats, have made moves to stock up food banks across their states.
A nearly $51 tin of olive oil is also available to be purchased with SNAP on Amazon. There are some stipulations to the program, such as recipients cannot purchase pet food, alcohol, food or drinks containing CBD, or food that are sold hot, such as a rotisserie chicken.
Hochul noted Monday that she planned to fast-track $30million in emergency food assistance, and Newsom is making $80million available, as well as sending the National Guard to help run food banks.
The Trump Administration has noted that states that choose to spend money on their food programs will not be reimbursed for their actions.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Nixon, SNAP, and the USDA for comment.
