A staple neighborhood meat and grocery store that got nabbed with a fraudulent food-stamp sale announced it’s closing after nearly four decades in business.
Fresh Approach Market’s owners said they never bounced back after losing their food-stamp sales last year and being fined $5,700.
The government revoked and then reinstated their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) license after the owners acknowledged that one of their clerks sold non-food items – dish soap and tissues – to an undercover federal agent.
“Although we know this was wrong and it never should have happened, our license was suspended for six months and we received a hefty fine,” the owners said in a statement Wednesday. “It took us eleven months to get our license back.”
They said food-stamp customers were “a very big part of our business.”
“It is with deep regret and broken hearts we must announce that after 34 years in business on Bracket Street we will be closing Fresh Approach,” said owners Chet and Peggy Knights.
If the feds conducted a sting they likely had suspicions of more widespread non-food transactions involving taxpayer-financed coupons.
A single random sting resulting in a hit would be fractionally almost impossible, the shop’s owners contention it was a one-time oversight notwithstanding.
“If the feds conducted a sting they likely had suspicions of more widespread non-food transactions involving taxpayer-financed coupons.” Let’s not forget about alcohol and cigarettes they likely sold as well as swapping food stamps for discounted cash. Good riddance!
“If the feds conducted a sting they likely had suspicions of more widespread non-food transactions involving taxpayer-financed coupons.”
Suspicions in the region, not necessary with just this particular market, and there have been legitimate suspicions about small markets in Portland, wasn’t there one busted for accepting more food stamps than they Hannaford superstore? A Halal market if I remember correctly.
if you are going to fly a federal inspector in, it would make sense to have her go to all of the local small, grocery stores, not just the one that you suspect. Likewise, after a major fraud incident, it would make sense to check out all of that stores competitors?
I also make a distinction between dish soap & tissues and cigarettes & beer. Dish soap and toilet paper are necessities even if they’re not edible, and I look at that in a very different view than I look at the 30 pack of Bud Light.
There’s a public health issue if you’ve got a woman feeding children with dishes that have been washed with soap, or who doesn’t have tissues and toilet paper. I like to think that DHHS would make an issue of children being raised in such an environment.
And if the food stamps are the only thing she has to buy these items with, what did she supposed to do?
it’s like not being able to buy tomato seeds with food stamps — well what are tomato seeds used for???