In a major decision aimed at improving health, Nebraska has become the first state in the U.S. to stop people from using food stamps to buy soda and energy drinks. This new rule will start from January 1 and will affect around 1.5 lakh people in the state who are part of the SNAP program.
What is SNAP?
SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. It is also known as food stamps. The program helps low-income families buy groceries. It is run by the U.S. government and supports over 42 million people across the country.
Until now, people using SNAP benefits could buy almost any kind of food, except alcohol, tobacco, and hot cooked meals. But now, Nebraska will no longer allow the purchase of sugary drinks like soda and energy drinks with this benefit.
Why Nebraska Took This Step
Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen said that taxpayers should not be paying for unhealthy junk food. He believes that SNAP should focus only on healthy foods. “There’s nothing nutritious about the junk we’re removing,” he said in a statement.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins supported this move, calling it “a historic step to Make America Healthy again.” Rollins and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have been pushing for changes to make SNAP healthier.
Other States May Follow
After Nebraska’s new rule, six more states—Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Indiana, Iowa, and West Virginia—have also asked the central government for similar permissions. Some of these states want to ban more unhealthy foods, while others want to allow more hot food options for poor families.
These steps show a big shift in how states want to manage the SNAP program in the future.
Critics Say the Rule Will Hurt Poor Families
Not everyone agrees with Nebraska’s decision. Some experts and non-profit groups say the ban will make life harder for people who are already struggling to afford food.
Gina Plata-Nino, a director at the Food Research & Action Center, said that the rule adds more paperwork and shame for poor families. She believes that rewarding people for healthy choices works better than banning foods.
According to her, this new rule ignores years of research that shows positive methods—like discounts on fruits and vegetables—are more successful in improving health and diet among low-income people.
A Long-Running Debate in America
This is not the first time lawmakers have tried to limit what people can buy with SNAP. For more than 20 years, some U.S. states have talked about banning items like chips, ice cream, sugary drinks, and even expensive meats.
But the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) had always said no—until now. Earlier, the USDA said it was hard to define what foods are healthy or not. They also said that banning certain items would not necessarily make people eat better and would cost too much to manage.
But with Nebraska getting a waiver approved, this policy may now change.
Nebraska’s decision to ban soda and energy drinks under the SNAP program is the first of its kind in the U.S. While the state says it is trying to promote health, many worry it may bring more problems for families already struggling with food insecurity. As more states ask for similar waivers, the debate over what poor Americans should be allowed to eat using food stamps is only going to grow.
