In response to Colleen West’s letter of Aug. 26:

Once again, another reader picks on the underprivileged. I agree with Ms. Wests’ main comment in her letter. Junk foods should be limited with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) purchases. However, she has taken this complicated issue and directed her anger to those in need.

The prime reason that there are no controls on the purchase of junk foods with SNAP is that the snack-food lobby won’t allow this change. Lobbyists continue to pressure our legislators at both federal and state levels. The snack food industry generates hundreds of billions of dollars in profits. They are a determined group and employ numerous lobbyists and attorneys to keep snack foods in the SNAP program.

We, the taxpayers, are subsidizing this industry. The snack food industry is receiving this as corporate welfare in the billions of dollars. SNAP snack food purchases account for about 25% of this industry’s total U.S. income.

Remove or limit the snack-food lobbyists, and it could be easily resolved. No solution is viable at this point, but the recipients should NOT be blamed.

Also, Ms. West stated that the SNAP benefit increase was not needed. SNAP payout levels are controlled by verified income, the number in a household along with other tightly controlled variables. I believe the increase was long overdue, but first one must first believe that they are needed at all.

When a family in need uses SNAP, it frees up other household income to purchase necessities, such as shoes for their children.

Ms. West states abuse of SNAP “must go.” But she could be protesting something that would take millions off the welfare lines: increasing the minimum wage. Floating the minimum wage gradually up to $15 per hour would reduce the number of recipients in the millions and pull many out of poverty, and out of SNAP.

I hope Ms. West reads this and tries to look at this social and economic problem with new eyes.