There’s been a push before to ban sugary drinks, candy, and other junk foods from the U.S. program that helps low-income families buy nutritious food, but it’s gaining more attention now with some new faces in the Trump administration.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the recently confirmed Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Brooke Rollins, the new Agriculture Secretary, have both shown support for cutting things like soda and processed foods from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Kennedy has been particularly outspoken, telling Fox News that the program, which serves around 42 million Americans with a budget of $113 billion, should stop letting people use their benefits to buy what he called “poison” like soda and junk food. “We shouldn’t be subsidizing people to eat poison,” he said last week.
In one of her first interviews after her confirmation, Rollins said she’s looking forward to working with Kennedy on the issue, adding, “When a taxpayer is putting money into SNAP, are they OK with us using their tax dollars to feed really bad food and sugary drinks to children who perhaps need something more nutritious?”
But it’s not as easy as just cutting certain foods. The USDA runs the SNAP program, and it’s authorized by the federal Food and Nutrition Act of 2008. This law says that benefits can be used for “any food or food product intended for human consumption,” with a few exceptions, like alcohol and hot foods.
To actually remove specific items from SNAP, Congress would need to change the law, or states would have to get waivers to limit what people can buy, said Katie Bergh, a senior policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Over the years, various states have tried to restrict what can be bought with food stamps, but federal officials have usually shot down those attempts. In a 2007 paper, the Agriculture Department said it would be hard to define what counts as “good” or “bad” food and that restrictions might not even change what people buy or help reduce issues like obesity.
Anti-hunger groups argue that SNAP recipients aren’t more likely than other low-income Americans to buy sugary drinks or snacks, and they point out that limiting food choices can undermine people’s autonomy. After all, those receiving SNAP benefits usually only get about $187 a month — about $6 a day.
There are currently bills in Congress and several states looking to ban things like soda and candy from being bought with SNAP. However, the bills would still allow drinks made from milk or those with more than 50% fruit or vegetable juice. Interestingly, candy that contains flour, like Kit Kat and Twix bars, would still be allowed, while drinks with high sugar content but over half fruit juice could stay on the approved list.
