![]() ![]() ![]() The Circuit Court affirmed the trial court’s ruling, finding the redemption information was not “confidential” information entitled to protection under the exemption. Although the USDA declined to appeal, Food Marketing Institute (“FMI”) – a trade group representing grocery retailers – decided to intervene and file an appeal to the Eighth Circuit. Argus filed suit, resulting in the trial court ruling in its favor. The USDA refused to release the SNAP redemption data, citing FOIA Exemption 4. It was the yearly totals of these redemptions that Argus sought in its FOIA request to the USDA. When a participant buys food using their SNAP card, the USDA receives a record of that transaction, called a SNAP redemption. The USDA issues SNAP participants a debit-like card that they use to buy food from participating retailers. SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, is the federal aid program that provides food-purchasing assistance for low- and no-income people living in the United States. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”), seeking the yearly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”) sales figures for every grocery store participating in the program. 18-481) – involves a FOIA request made by Argus Leader Media, a South Dakota newspaper, to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 889 F.3d 914 (8th Cir. On January 11, 2019, the Supreme Court granted a petition for writ of certiorari over an Eighth Circuit decision involving Exemption 4 of the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”), which protects from public disclosure “trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person and privileged or confidential.” This marks the first time the Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case involving this important exemption. ![]()
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