U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins has signed six food choice state waivers for Florida, West Virginia, Louisiana, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas to remove unhealthy food products from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP) benefits.
The initiative is part of the federal government's push under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s MAHA [Make America Healthy Again] movement for healthy foods, especially for younger children.
"Six new states are joining the MAHA movement! Yesterday at the Great American Farmers Market, @secrollins and @seckennedy signed food choice state waivers for West Virginia, Florida, Colorado, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas to remove unhealthy foods from SNAP," the USDA said.
Specifically, Florida's waiver will ban the use of SNAP benefits on soda, energy drinks, candy, and prepared desserts starting on Jan. 1. Other states are banning similar items starting New Year's Day.
Sec. Kennedy also celebrated the news on social media.
SNAP benefits are already generally banned for items such as alcohol, tobacco, hot and prepared food and personal care products.
Rollins' announcement comes as kids face growing threats of childhood obesity across the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 1 in 5 U.S. children and adolescents are obese.
Higher propensity for obesity also occurs in Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black children, and children in families with lower incomes, the CDC said.
More specifically, about 19.7% of U.S. children, or 14.7 million from ages 2–19 years old, were obese from 2017 to 2020. The alarming figure could also have increased following COVID-19 lockdown restrictions starting in March 2020, which kept many children inside and away from physical activity.
“In Florida, we are ensuring SNAP supports nutritious options that help families thrive, not unhealthy products that lead to long-term health problems. Thank you to President Trump for approving our waiver request,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a statement.
