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’Not about limiting choice’: Idaho seeks to ban some purchases with food stamps

Shoppers browse the frozen food cases. The first day of each month is typically one of the busiest times to visit a WinCo in Idaho. That’s when the state issues food-stamp benefits. (Idaho Statesman)
By Angela Palermo Idaho Statesman
Shoppers browse the frozen food cases. The first day of each month is typically one of the busiest times to visit a WinCo in Idaho. That’s when the state issues food-stamp benefits. (Idaho Statesman)

BOISE – Idaho residents on food stamps may soon no longer be able to use the grocery-purchasing assistance to buy soft drinks or candy.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare submitted a waiver to the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday at the direction of Gov. Brad Little requesting approval to remove soda, candy and energy drinks from the list of items eligible for purchase through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

Little signed a bill in April that banned soda and candy from the government’s food assistance program.

But the bill required a federal waiver to implement the changes. Little said his administration was committed to securing the waiver as quickly as possible.

He said in a news release that Idaho welcomes the so-called Make American Healthy Again, or MAHA, movement, championed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., health and human services secretary under President Donald Trump.

“I do recognize the complexities of defining candy and soda, but at the same time this issue is not complex at all,” Little said. “It is actually quite simple: Assistance from the government should go toward healthy foods, not foods that cause so many health problems.”

Kennedy applauded Little and urged other governors to follow Idaho’s lead.

The bill 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.” It wouldn’t include items that need to be refrigerated or contain over 10% flour by weight.

Soda means any nonalcoholic beverage that contains natural or artificial sweeteners, according to the bill. It doesn’t consider soda to be drinks that contain more than 50% fruit or vegetable juice by volume.

‘Not about limiting choice’

John Bernasconi, the administrator for Health and Welfare’s Self-Reliance Division, which submitted the waiver request, said he hopes the change to SNAP benefits will encourage healthier habits across the state and reduce preventable chronic health conditions.

Health and Welfare said in a news release Friday that, according to USDA data, about one-fifth of food-stamp purchases nationwide are spent on sugary drinks and snacks.

“This effort is not about limiting choice – it’s about encouraging better options for families and making sure public resources are supporting long-term health,” Bernasconi said in the news release.

As of February, about 135,000 Idahoans were enrolled in SNAP, according to Health and Welfare data. Each beneficiary or household received an average of $178 in monthly benefits. The average Idaho household spends about $854 per month on groceries, the Idaho Statesman previously reported.