USDA should prohibit “junk food” purchases with SNAP benefits, governor says -

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By TESS VRBIN | Arkansas Advocate

Arkansas officials will seek federal permission to prohibit food stamp recipients from purchasing “highly processed, unhealthy junk food” and encourage consumption of more nutritious foods, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders wrote Wednesday in a letter to the projected incoming heads of two federal agencies.

“Given the relationship between junk food and poor health, our federal food assistance policies are fueling obesity, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and a wide range of chronic health conditions across America,” Sanders wrote to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Brooke Rollins.

In November, President-elect Donald Trump nominated Kennedy to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Rollins to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Both must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

The USDA administers the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to eligible low-income Americans. As of Tuesday, 223,552 Arkansans in 119,675 households receive SNAP benefits, Arkansas Department of Human Services spokesperson Gavin Lesnick said.

Sanders, who was White House Press Secretary from 2017 to 2019 during Trump’s first presidential term, asked Kennedy and Rollins to “work collaboratively across the Administration to prohibit the sale of junk food in SNAP and end taxpayer-funded junk food.” She wrote that “soda, unhealthy snacks, candy, and dessert” account for 23%, or $25 billion, of all SNAP purchases nationwide.

“As a mom of three, I have made improving maternal health outcomes one of my key priorities as governor,” Sanders wrote. “But we will never address our maternal health challenges unless we tackle chronic health conditions, like diabetes and obesity, that dramatically increase the risk of pregnancy complications.”

In March, an executive order from Sanders created a strategic committee of state officials to make plans to improve the state’s maternal health infrastructure and outcomes. The committee issued a list of recommendations in September that touched on Medicaid reimbursements and the healthcare workforce but did not mention nutrition.

Sanders said Arkansas will submit a waiver request to USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service “that would support fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, and protein and prohibit using SNAP for junk food.” This “health-centered SNAP reform” would incentivize consumption of Arkansas-grown meat and produce and financially benefit Arkansas farmers, Sanders wrote.

Responses

The Agricultural Council of Arkansas appreciates Sanders’ concern for SNAP and nutrition, Executive Vice President Andrew Grobmyer said in a statement.

“This issue will certainly be a subject of discussion and debate in the coming year with the new administration and efforts of Congress to pass a much needed farm bill,” Grobmyer said. “We hope changes to nutrition programs do help recipients find more healthy and nutritious options, including Arkansas-grown rice.”

Sanders was one of 17 Republican governors who urged Congress earlier this month to reauthorize the Farm Bill, a USDA policy package that includes funding for SNAP. Congress failed to reauthorize the bill as initially scheduled in 2023 and again in the 2024 regular session.

Unlike some of her fellow Republican governors, Sanders announced in January that Arkansas would participate in a new USDA program for children to receive food assistance during their summer break from school. Summer EBT served more than 260,000 children statewide this past summer, according to DHS, and the program will continue in 2025.

Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families is “optimistic that the governor is addressing child hunger” and anticipates learning more about Sanders’ proposed incentives for SNAP participants to purchase more fresh foods, the organization said in a statement Wednesday.

“Many Arkansans with low incomes live in food deserts, especially rural Arkansans,” AACF wrote. “We must, therefore, be cautious about restrictions that don’t allow families flexibility to buy the food available to them and their children within their community.”

State Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, said he has heard similar concerns but “would find it hard to argue with the policy of encouraging and promoting healthier foods.”

Dismang sponsored legislation in 2023 that initially would have raised the asset limit from $2,250 to $12,500 for Arkansans to qualify for SNAP benefits. The bill met pushback from Sanders, who said she opposed “expanding welfare,” even after an amendment lowered the proposed limit to $6,000.

The final amended version of the bill, which Sanders signed into law, maintained the $2,250 asset limit but authorized a USDA waiver request to allow exemptions for individual families with more assets. Those families would have a new asset limit of $5,500 and remain enrolled in SNAP as long as they receive an exemption within a year of exceeding the current limit.

Dismang said Thursday that he was unsure of the status of the waiver request that resulted from the law.

“I still believe that the asset limits and the way they’re written are punitive to those who are trying to better their situation and work their way out of having to utilize resources provided by the federal government, including SNAP,” Dismang said.

Sanders concluded Wednesday’s letter to Kennedy and Rollins with, “Together, we can, and we will, Make America Healthy Again.” Kennedy popularized the phrase during his Independent presidential campaign earlier this year before he dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump.

Some of Kennedy’s health policy stances, such as opposition to vaccines and support for the availability of unpasteurized milk, have been debunked by scientists.

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USDA should prohibit “junk food” purchases with SNAP benefits, governor says –

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