Proposed dessert restrictions on SNAP benefits wouldn't necessarily improve health, experts say

Yahoo

14-04-2025

Apr. 13—By Molly Walsh
cleveland.com (TNS)
CLEVELAND — A new bill backed by U.S. Sen. Jon Husted would make it impossible to buy sugary treats through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a change supporters say could promote healthier choices. But public health experts remain skeptical.
Husted, a Republican from the Columbus area, is cosponsoring the "Healthy SNAP Act of 2025," which was introduced by GOP Sen. Mike Lee of Utah. The proposed legislation would block people from using benefits to buy soft drinks, candy and prepared desserts.
"American taxpayers are footing the bill on both ends of a broken system: first, by subsidizing the consumption of unhealthy, ultra-processed foods, and then again by covering the skyrocketing health care costs caused by the chronic diseases those foods contribute to. In effect, we're paying to make ourselves sick—and then paying again to treat the sickness," Husted said in a press release.
But Darcy Freedman, Swetland Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, said the bill oversimplifies complex nutrition issues.
"Restrictions alone will not benefit much. We have to have a two-pronged approach: restrictions and incentives," she said.
Freedman pointed to Ohio's Produce Perks program as an example of how incentives help SNAP recipients, and others with similar benefits, stretch their food budgets while improving access to fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables.
When SNAP/EBT cards are used at participating farmers markets or grocery stores, Produce Perks provides a dollar-for-dollar match—up to $25 per day—that can be spent on fresh produce. For example, if someone spends $10 using SNAP, they receive an additional $10 to purchase fruits and vegetables.
Less than one in 10 Ohioans eat the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables each day, Freedman said.
"It is much cheaper to buy sugar-sweetened beverages and highly processed foods than it is to buy healthy foods. And so any strategy that tries to reduce the cost of healthy food, I think, would have a much greater impact on health than only restricting what you can buy," she said.
Freedman also noted that the food industry plays a significant role in shaping what is allowed under SNAP.
For example, in response to proposals by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to remove sodas and processed foods from SNAP, companies such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Keurig Dr Pepper have actively lobbied against the initiatives. They argue that increased sales of low- and zero-sugar drinks, along with clearer calorie labeling, offer consumers healthier choices.
"I think it's important to see who has an interest in what foods people with SNAP are buying," she said. "I think that the food industry is a very powerful lobbyist group. There's a lot of evidence to show they are active on a regular basis, influencing policy decisions."
GOP U.S. Rep. Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma introduced the Healthy SNAP Act in the House of Representatives several months ago. He argued that recipients are spending too much money on junk food.
In contrast, a 2007 U.S. Department of Agriculture report stated that food restrictions would make the program more complex and expensive to operate.
"It is difficult to justify the substantial cost and other burdens associated with identifying and enforcing new food restrictions given the very real possibility that individuals would simply substitute one form of payment (cash) for another (food stamps) in order to purchase unallowable foods," the report said.
Kristin Mullins, president and CEO of the Ohio Grocers Association, said the proposed legislation is also concerning for independent grocery store owners.
"Many stores, especially those in the inner cities, have a clientele that rely heavily on SNAP purchases. This could have a devastating impact on these citizens and thus our stores," she said.
Stephanie Merlino Barr, a neonatal dietitian at MetroHealth, said SNAP benefits are critical to her patients, many of whom are lower income, and restricting purchases would not effectively address chronic conditions like obesity and diabetes.
"Chronic conditions are complex. They don't have a simple solution. If they had a simple solution, we would have implemented it by now," she said. "Simply restricting financial benefits is not going to fix a complex problem. We should be addressing our food systems and how there is inequitable access to different types of foods."