NEWSWEEK – Republicans are trying to add dietary restrictions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), demanding to cut junk food and unhealthy beverages from the benefits.
The idea, spearheaded by Republican Representative Andy Harris of Maryland, is for individual states to test out limiting SNAP benefits to “only nutrient-dense foods and beverages.”
According to Harris, this restriction could fight rising obesity rates in the country and save money for the government, as data suggests that households receiving SNAP benefits spend a significant amount of it on what is generally considered junk food.
“SNAP must more effectively address the obesity crisis,” Harris wrote in a joint-opinion piece published by The Hill last week. “Not only will nutrition reforms to SNAP improve the health of low-income Americans, they are necessary to help address the country’s impending fiscal crisis.”
Harris added that limiting junk food consumption could “help reduce the prevalence of obesity, which in turn would lower healthcare costs in the U.S. and help address the country’s long-term fiscal challenges.”
SNAP provides food benefits to millions of low-income families across the country, helping them buy healthy and nutritious food. According to data for the 2022 fiscal year mentioned by the Pew Research Center, the program reached 41.2 million people in 21.6 million households in that year.
A recent study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture analyzing food expenditures for both SNAP beneficiary households and non-SNAP households found that for every dollar spent on food purchases, both spent about 20 percent of that on sweetened drinks, desserts, salty snacks, candy and sugar.
About 40 percent was spent on basics like bread, milk, meat, eggs, fruits and vegetables.
Sweetened beverages were the second most-bought category for SNAP households after meat, poultry and seafood, and before vegetables.
According to the department, more money was spent on soft drinks than any other item across all households …
