4 States Submit Waivers to USDA Seeking to Ban Soda, Candy From SNAP

The Trump administration has encouraged states to submit the waivers amid a push to make America healthy.

A sign alerting customers about SNAP food stamps benefits is displayed in a grocery store in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Dec. 5, 2019. Scott Heins/Getty Images

Four Republican states are urging the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to let them ban soda, energy drinks, and candy from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a spokesperson confirmed on April 24.

The governors of Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, and Nebraska submitted requests to the agency for waivers that would allow such a ban, the spokesperson said.

Copies of the waivers have not yet been made available.

It comes shortly after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins signaled they are in favor of stripping such treats from the food stamp program.

SNAP is a federal program that helps more than 42 million low-income Americans pay for food each month.

According to the USDA, SNAP benefits can be used to purchase foods including fruits and vegetables, meat, poultry, and fish, dairy products, breads and cereals, and “other foods such as snack foods and non-alcoholic beverages.”

They can also be used to buy seeds and plants that produce food for the household to eat.

They must not be used to buy beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes, tobacco, pet food, cleaning supplies, or foods that are hot at the point of sale.

Arkansas wants to ban soda and candy from the program and include hot rotisserie chicken, according to an April 15 statement.

“President Trump and his administration have put a laser focus on solving America’s chronic disease epidemic and reforming our food stamp program is a great place to start,” Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.

“Banning soda and candy from food stamps will remove some of the least-healthy, most-processed foods from the program and encourage low-income Arkansans to eat better.”

Indiana hopes to remove candy and soft drinks from SNAP benefits, with Indiana Gov. Mike Braun signing an executive order banning them “so that taxpayer funds are helping low income Americans afford nutritious food, not junk.”

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen sent a letter of intent to Rollins on April 7 notifying her of the state’s intent to pursue a waiver removing soda and energy drinks from SNAP allowable purchases.

It is not clear when Iowa requested the waiver or what it contained. Lawmakers in the state have been considering a bill that would limit SNAP purchases to whole foods such as eggs, milk, and vegetables.

Kennedy and Rollins on April 9 penned an op-ed for USA Today in which they urged governors throughout the country to submit waivers to “help promote access to these critical sources of nutrition,” including waivers that “can limit what can be purchased with food stamps, get healthy foods to rural communities and prioritize nutritional standards in school meals.”

The op-ed quoted data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing that approximately one in five American children and adolescents are obese, while 40 percent of school-age children and adolescents have at least one chronic health condition.

“For too long, special interests have controlled how institutions of public health inform the American people about healthy eating and lifestyle habits,” they wrote. “Under President Trump, that ends.”

Soda and candy lobby groups have criticized the waivers, with the American Beverage Association saying in a March 24 statement that the restrictions “won’t make anyone healthier or save taxpayer dollars.”

“The current debate has made clear that more people are waking up to the reality of these proposals: shortsighted soundbites that hurt American families and veterans and turn grocery stores into the government’s food police,” it said.

The National Confectioners Association has also said the policy is “misguided” and “not needed.”

“SNAP participants and non-SNAP participants both understand that chocolate and candy are treats—not meal replacements,” the trade organization said on April 15.

“Consumers have a unique mindset when they enjoy chocolate and candy that is not present when interacting with other foods—whether or not they are using SNAP benefits for food purchases.”

The Epoch Times has contacted the USDA for comment.

Reuters contributed to this report.