Those at the front lines of junk-food food stamp purchases rail at USDA secrecy

Those at the front lines of junk-food food stamp purchases rail at USDA secrecy | WashingtonExaminer.com:
"Information on how many food stamp dollars are redeemed at which stores has long been deemed a “trade secret” by a U.S. Department of Agriculture that critics believe views large retailers, not taxpayers, as its clientele.
But a federal court battle has forced USDA to re-evaluate its stance, and it is doing so by asking retailers during a regulatory comment period if they view food stamp data as a trade secret.
Given that candy and soda manufacturers and junk-food sellers like 7-Eleven have lobbied to make the food stamp program more lenient and thus more lucrative, USDA's question might be viewed as an opportunity to support keeping the data under wraps.