Nebraska is the first state to receive a federal waiver to ban the purchase of soda and energy drinks under the benefit program for low-income Americans long known as food stamps.
The move, announced Monday by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, would affect about 152,000 people in Nebraska enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which helps families pay for groceries.
“There’s absolutely zero reason for taxpayers to be subsidizing purchases of soda and energy drinks,” Nebraska Gov.
Anti-hunger advocates criticized it, saying it adds costs, boosts administrative burdens and increases stigma for people already facing food insecurity.
Until now, USDA rejected the waivers, saying there were no clear standards to define certain foods as good or bad.
Nebraska is the first state to obtain a federal waiver to prohibit the purchase of soda and energy drinks through the long-running food stamp program, which provides benefits to low-income Americans.
U.S. announced the move on Monday. S. Brooke Rollins, the secretary of agriculture, would have an impact on roughly 152,000 Nebraskans who are enrolled in SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which assists families with grocery expenses.
“The government of Nebraska has no justification whatsoever for subsidizing the purchase of soda and energy drinks,” the governor said. stated in a statement by Jim Pillen. “SNAP helps families in need add nutritious foods to their diets, but the junk that we’re eliminating with today’s waiver has no nutritional value. “”.
According to USDA, six additional states—Arsenal, Colorado, Kansas, Indiana, Iowa, and West Virginia—have also applied for waivers that would restrict access to specific foods and beverages or, in some situations, increase participants’ access to hot foods.
Rollins and Health Secretary Robert F. have made it a priority to push for the SNAP program to ban sugary drinks, candy, and other items. Kennedy Jr.
The action on Monday was dubbed “a historic step to Make America Healthy again” by Rollins. “.”.
Nebraska’s waiver details, which go into effect in January. were not available right away. Proponents of ending hunger denounced it, claiming that it increases expenses, administrative strains, and stigma for those who are already experiencing food insecurity.
Gina Plata-Nino, deputy director of the Food Research and Action Center, a nonprofit advocacy organization, said the waiver “ignores decades of evidence showing that incentive-based approaches — not punitive restrictions — are the most effective, dignified path to improving nutrition and reducing hunger.”.
The U.S. government administers the approximately $100 billion SNAP program, which benefits 42 million Americans. A. managed by the states and the Agriculture Department.
The federal Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, which authorizes the program, states that SNAP benefits can be used “for any food or food product intended for human consumption,” with the exception of alcohol, tobacco, and hot foods, including those that are prepared for immediate consumption.
Lawmakers in a number of states have suggested over the past 20 years that SNAP should no longer cover items like soda, bottled water, chips, ice cream, and “luxury meats” like steak.
USDA has up until now denied the waivers, claiming that there are no precise criteria to determine what constitutes a good or bad food. Furthermore, the agency had stated that limitations would be expensive, complex, and challenging to execute, and that they would not always alter the food purchases made by recipients or lessen health issues like obesity.
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