Food Stamp users, which amounted to 47 million American's last year, are allowed to buy sugary sodas and other snack foods. Now 18 Mayors have banned together to urge congressional leaders to prohibit beneficiaries from buying sodas with Food Stamps, citing the health risks involved.
In a letter sent on Tuesday, the mayors urged that it is important look at the use of the subsidies of the program, called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), for sugar-laden beverages in the interest of fighting obesity and related diseases.
"More than one third of American adults are now obese, costing approximately $147 billion per year in associated medical expenses," read the letter. "As a result of obesity, this generation of American children is the first to face the possibility of a shorter life expectancy than their parents. It is time to test and evaluate approaches limiting SNAP's subsidization of products, such as sugar-sweetened beverages, that are contributing to obesity."
The Mayors are from New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Baltimore; Boston; Louisville, Ky.; Madison, Wis.; Minneapolis; Newark, N.J.; Oakland, Calif.; Philadelphia; Phoenix; Portland, Ore.; Providence, R.I.; Salt Lake City; San Francisco; St. Louis; and Seattle have joined forces.
Food Stamp benefits are not accepted for alcohol, cigarettes, hot food and some other items. Proposals to stop people from using the benefit to buy soda, candy and other items which are considered unhealthy have been discussed for decades; opponents have said such restrictions would be paternalistic and might discourage needy people from getting the subsidies.
"We need to find ways to strengthen the program and promote good nutrition while limiting the use of these resources for items with no nutritional value, like sugary drinks, that are actually harming the health of participants," Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose office released the letter, said in a statement. "Why should we continue supporting unhealthy purchases in the false name of nutrition assistance?"
The American Beverage Association represents the non-alcoholic, refreshment beverage industry. It says obesity is "a complex health condition that affects Americans of all income levels," not just those on food stamps.
