Indiana Removes Sugary Drinks, Candy From SNAP Benefits
INDIANAPOLIS–Indiana has gotten permission from the federal government to remove sugary drinks and candy from the items you can buy with food stamps.
You may remember the governor and Health and Human Services Sec. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., talking about that last month in Indy. Now the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture has followed through with a waiver for Indiana, to remove those items from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in the state.
“More taxpayer-funded SNAP dollars are spent on sugary drinks and candy than on fruits and vegetables. Indiana is proud to lead the way in the Make America Healthy Again agenda by making this common sense move to return the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to its intended purpose: nutrition,” said Gov. Mike Braun.
Soda is the number one commodity purchased with SNAP benefits, according to USDA statistics.
Purchases of sugary drinks, desserts, and candy exceed the combined sales of fruits and vegetables on SNAP. Children enrolled in SNAP consume 43% more sugary drinks than non-SNAP recipients with similar incomes, said a Friday news release.
Indiana was one of the first states to apply for such a waiver.
“I urge every governor across America to follow your lead by signing similar executive orders in their states to improve nutrition standards in SNAP, increase transparency around food dyes and additives, implement physical fitness tests in schools, expand farm-to-school programs, and embrace the full scope of your transformative health agenda. Together, we can Make America Healthy Again,” said RFK, Jr., last month during his visit to Indiana, which doubled as the announcement for Gpv. Mike Braun’s “Make Indiana Healthy Again” program.
