President Trump Wants to Replace Food Stamps With Ready-to-Eat Meal Kits

President Donald Trump is hoping to cut food stamps and replace them with Blue Apron-like meal kits.

According to Fortune, the Trump administration is hoping to restructure the longstanding food stamp program by replacing it with a box of canned goods called "America's Harvest Box." The boxes are being likened to high-end meal kit service Blue Apron, which delivers pre-portioned, ready to cook meals, including fresh fruits and vegetables.

Under the proposal, the America's Harvest Boxes would include "homegrown" products sourced from American farmers and producers. Among the items contained in the box would be shelf-able milk, juice, grains, cereals, pasta, peanut butter, beans, canned meat, poultry or fish, and canned fruits and vegetables.

Under the plan, according to Director of the Office of Management and Budget Mick Mulvaney, SNAP recipients would receive roughly half of their benefits in "a Blue Apron-type program where you actually receive the food instead of receive the cash." He also stated that the proposal would save the government nearly $130 billion over the course of 10 years.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue assured that the box would maintain "the same level of food value as SNAP participants currently receive," adding that the proposal is a "bold, innovative approach to providing nutritious food to people who need assistance feeding themselves and their families."

The underdeveloped plan is already being met with extreme criticism. Many people are questioning the true extent of the savings to the government, especially given that the America's Harvest Boxes would need to be mailed to recipients. Many are also concerned with families losing agency in choosing what they receive, a fact that is most concerning for those suffering with things such as nut allergies.

The boxes will be worth roughly half of a SNAP recipients monthly benefit, while the remainder of their benefits would continue to be provided on electric benefit cards. The proposal would affect those who currently receive at least $90 a month in food stamps, which is roughly 81% of recipients of 16 million households.