Florida, Texas Implement Sugary Beverage SNAP Restrictions; Colorado Hits Roadblock

This April, the total number of states with restrictions on SNAP purchases of sugary beverages will increase to 21, possibly 22. Florida, Texas, and Colorado are all scheduled to begin restricting access to sodas and sugary beverages on the nutrition assistance program, but Colorado is facing a roadblock.

Earlier this month, the Colorado Board of Human Services held a hearing at which homeless advocates and hunger groups spoke out against proposed restrictions on sugary beverages. They argued that lower-income families and non-English speaking families will be stigmatized as they attempt to check out with sodas and get denied at the cash register. The advocates also said the government shouldn’t be deciding what people eat.

Multiple doctors also wrote in to support the restrictive measure by pointing out the lack of nutritional value in drinks with heavy amounts of sugar and that it contributes to the obesity epidemic.

Mariah Guerrero of Hunger Free Colorado said families indicated they would buy more fruits, vegetables, and protein if they had an extra $50 to spend on groceries. She argued that this shows that restricting access to certain items will not lead families to make healthier choices.

During the same meeting, the staff presented statistics that showed 9.25% of SNAP benefit purchases in Colorado are sugary beverages. That is higher than fruits, vegetables, and all other categories except meat and poultry. A 2016 USDA document on nationwide SNAP spending shows that 20% of SNAP dollars go to sugary beverages, desserts, candy, and other sugary foods. It also shows sugar beverages as the second-highest spending category behind meat and poultry.

“There’s no science behind this that says it will lead to better health outcomes,” said Ana Bustamante with Save the Children Action Network. There are several listed corporate partners for Save the Children, including PepsiCo, Mars, and Mondelez International. These companies are associated with some of the most well-known sugary beverages and snacks on the market.

42% of American adults are obese, and another 30% are overweight. One-fifth of American children are considered obese, and one-third are overweight. Obesity rates have tripled since the 1960s and continually increased with each passing decade. The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages has been consistently linked to weight gain in children and adults. Being overweight and obese is a “significant predictor of cardiometabolic risk and poor health.”

The SNAP program costs nearly $100 billion per year for American taxpayers. The website states, “SNAP provides food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budget so they can afford the nutritious food essential to health and well-being.” $9 billion per year goes to sugary drinks, and nearly $20 billion to sugary beverages and snacks. Soft drinks lack nutritional value and are also linked to lower intake of important nutrients like calcium, which can compound detrimental health effects.

The CDC says obesity adds about $173 billion in costs to the US health care system each year. In addition, only about two out of five young adults are weight-eligible and physically prepared for military training.

A report from the Milken Institute concluded that obesity costs $1.4 trillion annually in America, including additional factors such as productivity, education, quality of life, and increased energy consumption.

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) found that SNAP recipients (44%) had higher obesity rates than matched income-eligible non-participants (38%).

A 2023 review published in Current Opinion in Pediatrics found that other USDA food assistance programs are associated with improved diet quality and nutrition, while SNAP recipients continually have worse diets and nutrition scores. Sugary beverages are not allowed for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), National School Lunch Program (NSLP), and the School Breakfast Program (SBP) except for 100% fruit juice or milk products. WIC has strict requirements against sugary desserts and limits on foods with added sugars. NSLP and SBP programs must follow specific dietary guidelines that restrict the amount of added sugars.

“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the USDA analyzed WIC data from 56 states and territories from 2010 and 2018 and found that 31 WIC agencies reported significant declines in obesity among children aged 2–4 years,” the authors wrote. “Between 2010 and 2018, overall obesity prevalence among WIC participants aged 2–4 years decreased from 15.9 to 14.4%.”

The HighWire reported last year about a lobbying group called Americans for Food and Beverage Choice (AFBC) that has been advocating for continuing unrestricted access for sugary beverages in the SNAP program. The group was spearheaded by the American Beverage Association (ABA), a group that represents the largest soda manufacturers, including PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, and Keurig Dr. Pepper. The website contains testimonials from citizens who claim restrictions on sugary beverages are about “judgment” and a form of government overreach.

Lobby groups representing the largest big food manufacturers hope to keep sugary beverages as an option for SNAP recipients, and some argue that additional restrictions will not result in healthier outcomes. The 2023 review paper suggests restrictions can be part of a core strategy to improve the diets of SNAP recipients. The authors also suggest that SNAP-eligible retailers should be prohibited from advertising unhealthy foods in stores, and they could be evaluated so that at least 50% of their sales come from staple foods.

Florida and Texas will begin their SNAP restrictions in April, but it is unknown if and when Colorado will implement sugary beverage restrictions.