Arkansas asks USDA to let it ban soda, candy from food stamps program

Audio By Carbonatix

Enlarge

By Leah Douglas

(Reuters) – Arkansas on Tuesday became the first state to ask the U.S. Department of Agriculture to allow it to ban soda and candy from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, with the support of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has signaled she will approve state requests to restrict what SNAP recipients can buy with their benefits. More than 41 million Americans receive SNAP benefits.

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Rollins announced the request in a joint press conference.

Both officials said the purpose of the effort is to encourage SNAP recipients to make healthy choices, not to restrict their options.

Other states including Nebraska and West Virginia have said they will soon submit requests of their own to the USDA in the latest chapter of a years-long debate over whether to bar purchases of sugar-sweetened drinks and junk food from SNAP.

The soda and candy industries were critical of Sanders’ move.

“If the Governor is sincere about what taxpayers can buy with SNAP dollars, this sends a ridiculously conflicted message: it’s okay to buy a wide array of desserts, snack cakes and treats, just not soda and candy. How does that make sense?” said American Beverage, which represents soda companies, in a statement.

Chris Gindlesperger, senior vice president of public affairs and communications at the National Confectioners Association, said the approach is “misguided.”

Rollins said she expects the USDA’s approval of the state’s request to move quickly and that the USDA and Arkansas officials have a conference call scheduled for Wednesday.

(Reporting by Leah Douglas; Editing by Marguerita Choy)