Idaho wins OK to ban residents from using food stamps to buy soda, candy
It’s official. Come January, Idaho residents on food stamps will no longer be able to use the grocery-purchasing assistance to buy soft drinks or candy.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins signed a waiver that the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare submitted in May to remove soda, candy and energy drinks from the list of items eligible for purchase through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, formerly known as food stamps.
Rollins also signed waivers requested by Arkansas and Utah during a ceremony Tuesday with Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., according to a news release Wednesday from Health and Welfare.
The changes are set to take effect in January.
SNAP recipients can now use the assistance to buy anything except alcohol, tobacco, personal care products and hot or prepared food.
Gov. Brad Little said in the release that Idaho welcomes the so-called Make American Healthy Again, or MAHA, movement, championed by Kennedy under President Donald Trump. Kennedy applauded Little and the other governors in a separate news release from USDA.
“I call on every governor in the nation to submit a SNAP waiver to eliminate sugary drinks – taxpayer dollars should never bankroll products that fuel the chronic disease epidemic,” Kennedy said in the release.
Little signed a bill in April that banned soda and candy from the government’s food assistance program.
The legislation defined candy as “a preparation of sugar, honey or other natural or artificial sweeteners combined with chocolate, fruits, nuts or other ingredients or flavorings in the form of confections, bars, drops or pieces.” Candy doesn’t include items that need to be refrigerated or contain over 10% flour by weight, according to the bill.
Soda was defined in the bill as any nonalcoholic beverage that contains natural or artificial sweeteners, which means SNAP won’t pay for sugar- or corn-syrup-free diet or “zero” sodas anymore either. But recipients will still be able to buy orange, apple or other juices that are naturally sweet. Drinks that contain more than 50% fruit or vegetable juice by volume are allowed.
The bill required a federal waiver to implement the changes. But state legislators at the time expressed skepticism that the federal government would move quickly to approve it. Sen. Ben Toews, a Republican from Coeur d’Alene, said on the Senate floor that similar waivers had never been granted before.
Rollins proved them wrong. Before the signing ceremony on Tuesday, the agriculture secretary had signed waivers for Nebraska, Iowa and Indiana.
“Idaho is committed to improving the health of its citizens, and this waiver approval is a critical milestone,” Little said in the Health and Welfare release. “With the backing of the Idaho Legislature and a very fast approval by the Trump administration, we’re taking a meaningful step forward in strengthening our efforts to improve the health of Idahoans.”
About 135,000 Idahoans were enrolled in SNAP as of February, according to Health and Welfare data. Each beneficiary or household received an average of $178 in monthly benefits. USDA data show that about 20% of SNAP dollars nationwide are spent on sugary beverages and snacks, Health and Welfare said.
The average Idaho household spends about $854 per month on groceries, the Idaho Statesman previously reported.