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Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas has reached out to the Secretary-Designate of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and the Secretary-Designate of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, advocating for changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
In the correspondence, Sanders expresses her worries that the initiative is “encouraging families to eat highly processed, unhealthy junk food.”
She mentioned that beverages, treats, sweets, and confections account for almost 23%, or $25 billion, of total purchases made through the program. She further asserted that “our federal food assistance policies are fueling obesity, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and a wide range of chronic health conditions across America.”
The governor referenced findings from Dr. Jay Bhattacharya and his team at Stanford, asserting that “prohibiting sugary drinks and soda from SNAP would prevent obesity in 141,000 kids and Type 2 diabetes in 240,000 adults.”
Gov. Sanders requested that the administration explore the possibility of banning the sale of unhealthy food in SNAP.
Furthermore, she conveyed her plan to seek a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service aimed at promoting fresh produce, eggs, and protein while restricting the use of benefits for unhealthy food options.
Individuals utilizing the benefits can presently purchase a wide range of groceries, along with the option to acquire plants and seeds for cultivating their own food. Benefits from the program are not applicable for purchasing alcohol, tobacco, dietary supplements, medications, or food for pets.
The Secretary of the Department of Human Services in Arkansas, Kristi Putnam, expressed the agency’s complete backing of the letter from Governor Sanders. She expressed optimism that this initiative will provide Arkansans with improved food choices and help avert health issues in the future.
“If we have better health to start with then we are going to avoid the worst health outcomes down the road by people making health choices that contribute to chronic health conditions, like diabetes, blood pressure, [and] cardiovascular disease,” said Putnam.
Studies indicate that utilizing SNAP benefits can lead to a significant reduction in food insecurity, potentially by as much as 30%, as reported by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. A significant majority, almost 89%, of SNAP benefits are allocated to households living at or beneath the poverty threshold.
In April 2023, it was reported that approximately 12.5% of individuals in the U.S. were recipients of SNAP benefits.