WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-TN) reintroduced the Healthy Food Choices Act. Roe released the following statement on the bill: 

“As a physician, I understand how important a healthy diet is, and I strongly believe we should prioritize the necessity and healthfulness of food items subsidized by taxpayers. After hearing from many constituents at town hall meetings about the ongoing issue of SNAP benefits being used to purchase non-essential items, I decided to bring this issue to Congress. As an OB-GYN, I have seen how the WIC program helps empower families receiving assistance by prioritizing healthy food purchases for expectant mothers, and believe that this program can serve as a guide for what we allow within SNAP.

“I understand that many families rely on SNAP benefits, and my bill does not cut SNAP. This bill does, however, ensure the items being purchased with SNAP benefits are real, nutritious food items. SNAP recipients are still able to purchase any of the prohibited items with personal funds, but I believe taxpayers should only provide assistance in purchasing wholesome, nutritious foods. This bill is not perfect, but I hope it will start the important conversation about how we improve the health of families who rely on government assistance programs.”  

The Healthy Food Choices Act would prohibit Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients, formerly known as Food Stamps, from purchasing items with little to no nutritional value with their benefits. It would prohibit the purchase of soft drinks, candy, energy drinks and other low-nutrition items with SNAP benefits. You can find a copy of the bill here.

This is the second consecutive Congress Rep. Roe has introduced this legislation. The first version of the Healthy Food Choices Act would have applied the same standards from the WIC program to SNAP. Recognizing that the nutritional needs for pregnant women and infants are different from the larger, more diverse population participating in SNAP, the Congressman has worked to refine the food offerings in the new version of the bill to offer a greater variety of healthy options.

A 2014 study by Stanford University medical researchers found that banning sugary drink purchases with SNAP benefits would prevent at least 141,000 children and 281,000 adults from becoming obese, in addition to preventing 240,000 adults from developing Type 2 Diabetes.