House Government Efficiency Committee debates restricting SNAP benefits

by Kat Ramkumar, Missouri News Network

Rep. Jamie Gragg, R-Ozark, spoke in favor of adding restrictions to SNAP benefits.

House Bill 1222, which Gragg sponsors, would prohibit SNAP clients from purchasing certain foods, such as “candy and soft drinks.”

Food stamps have fueled the junk food epidemic,” Gragg said. “Taxpayers are funding a growing child obesity program with this grant program.”

This bill, however, was met with opposition by members on the committee and witnesses due to its broad language.

Bill text defines “candy” as any food product containing sugar, honey, natural or artificial sweeteners in combination with chocolate, fruit, nuts and other flavorings. “Soft drinks” are defined as nonalcoholic beverages that contain natural or artificial sweeteners that excludes milk and milk products.

Katie Gamble with the Missouri Beverage Association believes that the bill will not target what it says it will.

“If you’re an athlete and your family is on SNAP, you can’t buy Powerade, but you can buy a full sugar, milk bottled coffee under the exemption,” Gamble said. “You can buy all the ingredients for a cake, but you can’t purchase an actual cake for a birthday.”

Missouri Grocers Association lobbyist Dan Shaw said he believes that this bill will be hard to implement.

“You can take your Missouri SNAP dollars, which are federal dollars, and cross state lines,” Shaw said. “It is said that this is a hands-off process, and I disagree. Someone has to decide what is healthy and what is not.”

Gragg plans to implement his bill by plugging in restrictions through all Missouri point of sale systems. He also believes that this bill will not impact food deserts, just the choices of those spending dollars.

One in eight Missourians live in a food desert according to a report released by Most Policy Initiative. The report also highlights that food-insecure households do not have cars to access fresh fruits and vegetables.