Small grocers in poor areas worry about a federal proposal to replace food stamps with "America's Harvest Boxes."
Many say it could hurt not only their bottom line, but also their patrons' nutrition. Shoppers themselves have many questions about the proposal, for which details are few.
An administrator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture tells The Associated Press that he wants retailers and states to play a role in the program.
Brandon Lipps of the department's food and nutrition service says it's true a portion of food-stamp benefits would be withheld in favor of the harvest box. But he says shoppers would still receive roughly 60 percent of their benefits in cash to spend at grocery stores.
