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If HHS Secretary and healthy food advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. succeeds, SNAP may soon exclude soda from its list of eligible purchases.
On Friday, Kennedy promoted his “Make America Healthy Again” initiative in West Virginia, where Republican Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced plans to request USDA approval to ban soda purchases under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, as reported by The Washington Post.
“Taxpayer dollars should be targeted toward nutritious foods,” Morrisey stated.
Kennedy strongly encouraged other states to follow West Virginia’s example.
“I urge every Governor to follow West Virginia’s lead and submit a waiver to the USDA to remove soda from SNAP,” Kennedy said in a statement, per Newsweek.
“If there’s one thing we can agree on, it should be eliminating taxpayer-funded soda subsidies for lower-income kids. I look forward to inviting every Governor who submits a waiver to come celebrate with me at the White House this fall,” he added.
However, not everyone supports this move. Valerie Imbruce, director of the Center for Environment and Society at Washington College, criticized the proposal.
“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,” she argued.
“Soda and candy are much cheaper and more calorie-dense than 100 percent fruit juices or prebiotic non-artificially sweetened carbonated beverages, thanks to price supports and subsidies by the federal government to support a U.S. sugar industry,” she continued.
The soda industry also expressed disapproval.
“What’s unhelpful about this whole conversation is that soda is not driving obesity,” said Merideth Potter, senior vice president at the American Beverage Association. “We’ve become this easy punching bag.”
Seth DiStefano of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy warned that banning SNAP-funded soda purchases could drive shoppers out of state and harm local stores.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins will ultimately decide on the proposal.
“I look forward to receiving Governor Morrisey’s SNAP pilot request and will work swiftly to make certain West Virginia is equipped with the technical assistance and expertise to move forward,” Rollins stated.
Calley Means, a senior White House adviser, revealed that 15 governors are in discussions with Kennedy about removing soda from SNAP eligibility.
“We’re not saying anyone can’t drink Coke,” Means clarified. “We’re saying no government subsidies for Coke.”
