Vitamin Plan Approved

In a first step toward giving the diet supplement industry access to a $23 billion-a-year federal nutrition program, a House subcommittee voted Tuesday to let low-income Americans use their food stamps to buy vitamins.

The move is part of a larger bill that reauthorizes the government’s largest welfare program for the next five years.

The legislation will also become part of the 1995 farm bill, which sets food and farm policies through 2000. It cleared the House Agriculture subcommittee on nutrition by a voice vote and now goes to the full committee.

Supporters say the vitamin plan is designed to expand the shopping choices and improve the nutritional status of nearly 27 million lowincome Americans who use food stamps to buy groceries.