SHOPPERS in one state have just weeks left to buy two popular grocery items using a common payment method before a ban comes into effect.
Those in other areas have also been warned to brace for a similar change as officials seek to bring the ban to more areas.
GettyShoppers will be banned from buying certain food and drink items using SNAP in a matter of weeks (stock)[/caption] GettyIt comes as officials sign up to the Make America Healthy Again movement (stock)[/caption]It comes as legislators in Idaho signed a bill that blocks certain items being bought under the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP).
House Bill 109 which was signed off by Idaho Governor Brad Little last month will allow the state to send a waiver for federal approval to exclude candy and soda from SNAP.
This means that SNAP recipients in the state will not be able to buy any food falling under those two categories using the additional assistance.
The move is part of Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr‘s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ initiative.
“Idaho welcomes the MAHA movement. It is all about looking for creative ways to improve nutrition and increase exercise, the two main factors that influence overall health,” Little said in a statement.
“Secretary Kennedy said it so well: we need to take better care of ourselves and each other.
“He said it is an act of patriotism, and the future of our nation depends on it. Idaho couldn’t agree more.”
The new law which would come into effect on July 1 will need approval by the United States Department of Agriculture.
For shoppers in Idaho, if the waiver is approved, around 130, 900 people will be affected by the ban.
Four states have already had their versions of the waiver approved and will be rolling out the ban in a matter of weeks.
They are: Iowa, Nebraska, Arkansas, and Indiana which will roll out the exception under a two-year pilot plan.
Other states are set to make the change with Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins saying that “half-a-dozen more [waivers are] coming down the line” – they include Texas, West Virginia, and Idaho.
At a MAHA event last week she said: “We are on track to sign multiples of SNAP waivers to get junk food and sugary drinks out of our food stamp system.”
“That has never happened before under Republican or Democrat administrations.
CNP / PolarisUnited States Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins takes part in a Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission event[/caption]“We have never made that happen before. So I am so proud and so grateful.”
Around 42 million Americans are recipients of food stamps with a MAHA report stating that this includes one in five children under the age of 17.
It is hoped that the ban will see a return to healthier food options for low-income families which is was SNAP was intended for.
The funding costs the federal government around $115 billion every year and other health-related items such as alcohol and tobacco have been excluded from SNAP payments since it’s beginning.
“SNAP was created to increase access to nutritious food; however, many SNAP purchases are for food with little to no nutritious value,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott told Rollins when applying for a waiver.
Idaho House Bill 109 - What is included in the ban?
Candy:
“Candy means a preparation of sugar, honey, or other natural or artificial sweeteners in combination with chocolate, fruits, nuts, or other ingredients or flavorings in the form of bars, drops, or pieces.”
Candy shall not include any preparation containing flour and shall require no refrigeration.Soda:
“Soda means any nonalcoholic beverage that contains natural or artificial sweeteners.”
Soda does not include any beverages that contain milk or milk substitutes, that are greater than 50% vegetable juice or fruit juice by volume, or that require preparation before consumption, such as powders or concentrates.Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee-Sanders said in her waiver that “soda, unhealthy snacks, candy and dessert account for nearly 23 percent or $25 billion of all SNAP purchases.”
BACKLASH
While some hail the move as a positive force for change to improve the health of the population, other food policy advocates have argued it is unfairly targeting poorer people while stripping low-income communities of their autonomy.
They also claim it fails to address that healthy food options are often less affordable and more tricky to access for those in poorer neighborhoods.
“Controlling how the poor eat is a paternalistic response to a problem that is not based in SNAP recipients’ inability to make good decisions about healthy foods, it is a problem of the price differential in choosing healthy or junk foods,” Valerie Imbruce, the director of the Center for Environment and Society at Washington College, told Newsweek.
Meanwhile, Chris Gindlesperger, senior vice president of Public Affairs and Communications at the the National Confectioners Association said it is “misguided”.
“This policy approach is misguided and not needed when it comes to chocolate and candy.
“SNAP participants and non-SNAP participants alike understand that chocolate and candy are treats – not meal replacements.
“In fact, candy purchasing patterns are basically equivalent between SNAP and non-SNAP families – with only about 2% of SNAP purchases being candy.“
Other critics have slammed the broad definition of ‘candy’ that is being used under the bills with many granola and energy bars also falling into the same category as chocolate.
It is highly likely that the July 1 ban will go into effect in Idaho with Rollins saying she will approve all SNAP waivers she receives.
State officials have said in the bill that in the unlikely event of a rejection, the director of the department of SNAP will continue filing waivers each year until it is granted.
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