I agree that there's a lot of irrationality about it. You point out an example of that.

However, you're talking about going from no free snacks to free snacks. The other direction--free snacks to non-free snacks--is a bizarre change that sends a negative message to employees. In fact, as you say, it's equivalent to a small loss in pay, as now you have to cover those snacks yourself. Not a big deal... but why is the company effectively docking the pay of every employee?