Latest news with #U.S.DepartmentofAgricultureFoodandNutritionService
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Gov. Reynolds announces ‘Healthy Kids Iowa' summer program
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCAU) — Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced the launch a new project that will act as an alternative to the federal government's Summer EBT program. According to a press release Wednesday, Reynolds' office announced that that the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service approved the 'Healthy Kids Iowa' program. The summer initiative will provide families to select $40 dollars worth of fresh food per child each month at their local participating pantry. Those foods include fruits, vegetables, dairy items, whole grains, and proteins. Reynolds opted out of the federal Summer EBT program which provides low-income families with EBT cards worth $120 per child to buy groceries over the summer. In response to the USDA for approving the summer plan, Reynolds said in part, that she is glad the USDA is placing its trust into the state of Iowa. Read the full statement below. Story continues below 'Our goal has always been to ensure all Iowa children have access to nutritious, balanced and wholesome food, while promoting healthy eating habits. I'm grateful to the USDA and Secretary Rollins for partnering with the State of Iowa and placing their trust in our statewide network of meal providers. Together we're building on the strong foundation already in place to better meet the unique needs of Iowa's children and families.' Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds The release said that Iowa received over $12 million in USDA meal reimbursements for summer programs in 2023-2024. Meanwhile, Reynolds also invested an additional $900,000, which resulted in 61 new meal sites in 2024. Under the Healthy Kids Iowa Pilot Program: Households must meet the federal poverty level of 185% or below AND have children ages 4-18 in their care. Households will be allowed to choose from a selection of nutritionally balanced foods each month at their local participating pantry. Foods will include fruits, vegetables, dairy items, whole grains and proteins. The Healthy Kids Iowa pilot program will run during June, July, and August 2025. More information can be found here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports.
Fox News
26-03-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Republican bills put taxpayer-funded junk food on the chopping block
Multiple Republican lawmakers are pushing proposals to ban the purchase of unhealthy foods through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is meant to help low-income families. Sugary sodas are in the crosshairs in three separate proposals, though two of the bills would go further by also banning purchases of other junk foods. Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, introduced the Funding Is Zero for Zero Nutrition Options (FIZZ-NO) Act of 2025, which would block purchases of sodas with SNAP benefits — the text defines soda as "a carbonated beverage that contains more than 1 gram of added sugar, artificial sweetener, or flavoring per serving." Three House Republicans have been listed as cosponsors on "Allowing taxpayer dollars to subsidize sugary sodas, which offer zero nutritional value and contribute to costly health conditions, is counterproductive. The FIZZ-NO Act is a common-sense solution to strengthen public health and reduce the financial burden on taxpayers," Self said in a statement included in a press release. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., just put forward a measure that would implement an even broader prohibition on purchasing junk foods with SNAP benefits. The Nutritious SNAP Act of 2025 would put the kibosh on SNAP purchases of "any nonalcoholic beverage that is not water, cow's milk, a milk-substitute beverage (such as almond milk, soy milk, and coconut milk), or 100 percent juice," plus "snack and dessert food items," described in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service "Accessory Foods List." That list includes various items such as potato and corn chips, pretzels, doughnuts, cookies, ice cream and more. "It makes no sense that taxpayer dollars are being used to fund an epidemic of obesity and diet-related illness in low-income communities. My bill ensures that this assistance program actually supports health and wellness, not chronic disease," Paul said, according to a press release. A group of GOP lawmakers in both chambers of Congress are pushing the Healthy SNAP Act of 2025. The measure would target "soft drinks, candy, ice cream, prepared desserts such as cakes, pies, cookies, or similar products," and call for the Agriculture Secretary to "conduct a scientific review" of foods allowed under SNAP at least every 5 years. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and several other Republican senators are pushing the bill in the Senate, while Rep. Josh Brecheen, R-Ok., and a number of other House Republicans are pushing it in the lower chamber, according to "American tax dollars should not be used to pay for junk food and endanger the health of the most vulnerable Americans," Lee said, according to a press release. "The fastest way to Make America Healthy Again is to encourage balanced diets and stop subsidizing unhealthy food choices. The Healthy SNAP Act is a solid step forward in building a society where all families can be enjoy strength, health, and good nutrition."
Associated Press
27-02-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Hawaii is scrambling to fix SNAP food program following $11M fine for errors
Hawaiʻi has been fined nearly $11 million by the federal government after its payment error rate for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program spiked for two consecutive years. Now, the Department of Human Services is hoping technology improvements will get that penalty reduced. The department is asking lawmakers for about $5.46 million — half the amount of the fine — for a new computerized screening system to determine eligibility and benefits amounts for SNAP. If the state commits that money to improve its accuracy, the federal government may waive the rest of the fine, lawmakers were told. Formerly known as food stamps, SNAP is the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service's food aid program. Hawaiʻi's payment error rate was about 21% in the 2022 and 2023 federal fiscal years, nearly double the national average for both years, said Scott Morishige, administrator of the Benefit, Employment and Support Services Division for the state Human Services department. The errors were a combination of underpayments and overpayments of benefits, Morishige told Civil Beat. The Food and Nutrition Service imposed the $10.93 million fine last June, he said. The department was flooded with applications for SNAP during the pandemic, and the federal government waived many of the normal rules that govern benefits. Hawaiʻi took full advantage of those waivers, but its error rates escalated as the federal requirements were gradually reinstated in the years that followed, Morishige said. Problems were aggravated by high turnover among employees responsible for determining eligibility, a state hiring freeze imposed in 2020 by then-Gov. David Ige, and larger-than-normal caseloads for the remaining workers. The error rates were determined by audits of samples of Hawaiʻi's SNAP caseloads. Gov. Josh Green's administration has submitted House Bill 1099 for the $5.46 million emergency appropriation so the state can pursue a 'reinvestment option' to resolve the penalty. A new Department of Human Services computer system called Benefits Eligibility Solution is being developed to replace its current system, which is nearly 40 years old. The $68 million project is scheduled to launch statewide in fall 2026, according to the department. 'Under the terms of the reinvestment option, if the reinvestment results in the payment error rate falling under and remaining below the national average, which is currently 11.68 percent, the State will not be required to pay the remaining fifty percent of the penalty,' DHS Director Ryan Yamane said in written testimony. research published last year by the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization. The administration's request for emergency funding is backed by the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, which pointed out that an estimated 14,000 additional Hawaiʻi families are expected to join the SNAP rolls later this year following a change in state eligibility requirements.
