Food & Climate
The federal government is approving measures for US states to ban the purchase of fast foods in America, such as soda and candy, from food assistance programs for low-income individuals, citing health concerns. Some have described the measure as detrimental to the dignity of beneficiaries.
At least 12 states have received federal approval to restrict recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, from using their benefits to purchase certain foods such as soda and candy, according to a report seen by “Food & Climate” platform.
The states receiving waivers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture are overwhelmingly Republican. Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia received approval last week. The feds granted waivers to Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska and Utah earlier this year.
SNAP served on average nearly 42 million people a month in fiscal 2024, with about 12% of the U.S. population receiving benefits.
Banning the purchase of fast foods in America is part of Kennedy agenda
The trend toward banning the purchase of fast foods in America from the food assistance program for low-income individuals is part of U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F.
Kennedy Jr.’s agenda to “make America healthy again” by inviting states to apply for waivers to change SNAP rules to limit what types of food recipients can buy.
Kennedy said in a statement that SNAP has used taxpayer dollars to “fuel America’s diabetes and chronic disease epidemics.”
“These waivers help put real food back at the center of the program and empower states to lead the charge in protecting public health,” the statement said.
“SNAP is a supplemental nutrition program meant to provide health food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budget so they can afford the nutritious food essential to health and well-being,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Monday before signing the waivers.
“That is the stated purpose of the SNAP program, the law states it and President Trump’s USDA plans to deliver on it,” she added, according to “The Hill”.
It gives dignity
Critics of these waivers that prevent purchasing the fast foods in America, say the policy could harm people in places such as food deserts, where healthy options are limited, and take away recipients’ power to make their own food choices, according to “Ohio capital journal”.
Craig Gundersen, a professor in the Department of Economics at Baylor University, told Stateline that these changes could harm the integrity of the program.
“One of the main reasons why SNAP is such a successful program is because it gives dignity and autonomy to recipients. It gives dignity to recipients by allowing them to shop in the same manner as their neighbors, friends and family, and it gives autonomy to recipients by saying to families: You are the best ones to make decisions for your families about what to purchase,” Gundersen said.
Gundersen said he worries the restrictions could stigmatize SNAP, which he called one of the best programs for fighting food insecurity.
The Oregon State’s Department of Human Services expects $3 billion to disappear that helps low-income Oregonians afford food via the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
That’s the preliminary conclusion by Gov. Tina Kotek’s office, which in recent weeks asked state agencies to crunch the numbers for what the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act might mean for their ability to provide services.
With tight state tax revenues unable to fill the gap, the pullback of federal money means Oregonians who rely on these services are likely to be cut off, Kotek said Monday.
“The Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress have betrayed American children and families, who will become sicker, hungrier, and less prosperous because of President Trump’s budget bill,” she said in a statement. “Oregonians will see less of their federal tax dollars coming back to our state for things they count on”, according to “OBP.org”