The Farmers Market Stand That Took EBT but Gave No Produce — A Public Secret

At a weekend farmers market in Los Angeles, I noticed a booth that looked normal at first glance—vegetables displayed, vendor smiling. But something felt off. No one was bagging produce. No weighing. No customers walking away with food. Yet the EBT machine beeped nonstop. An older shopper whispered to me: “They run an exchange. Swipe $80 in SNAP, walk away with $40 cash. You don’t need the vegetables.” I looked at the wilted produce and realized it wasn’t meant to be sold. It existed only as a cover. Meanwhile, real vendors trying to offer affordable vegetables were pushed aside. A broken system creates broken incentives. #ShowUsTheBill #SNAPFraud #FarmersMarketIssues #EBTAbuse #CostOfLiving