PHOENIX — A Lake Havasu Republican is leading a charge to take sodas — with or without sugar — off the list of items Arizonans can purchase with food stamps, as he says they have no nutritional value.
But candy would remain on the list of acceptable items, as Rep. Leo Biasiucci found he could not get the support he needs for his original plan to also restrict that purchase. Colleagues raised questions about how to define candy and whether there’s a real nutritional difference between a Snickers and a granola bar.
The proposed legislation also wouldn’t prevent the purchase of higher-sugar cereals such as Fruit Loops, which has 12 grams of added sugar for each 39-gram serving, through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the formal name for food stamps.
Approval of House Bill 2165 this week by the House Committee on Health and Human Services came over the objections of Mike Gardner, lobbyist for the Arizona Beverage Association. He told lawmakers his industry has done more to provide sugar-free alternatives than other food manufacturers.
“Good luck finding zero-calorie mayonnaise,’’ he said.
The bill, which now goes to the full House, also was panned by every Democrat on the committee.
Biasiucci
Even if it wins approval in the Republican-controlled Legislature — and even if it is signed by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs — that won’t actually curtail the list of items food stamp recipients can buy. It simply instructs the state Department of Economic Security to get a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the agency that funds the program, to prohibit Arizona recipients from buying sodas with their benefits.
To date, no such waiver has been granted.
But Brooke Rollins, the newly confirmed head of the U.S. Department Agriculture, said last week she wants to reform the list of items that can be bought with SNAP. She said she wants to work with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now head of the Department of Health and Human Services, to revamp the list.
“I look forward to working with Bobby Kennedy as we figure out, do we have the healthiest choices?’’ she told reporters outside the White House. “So when a taxpayer is putting money into SNAP, are they OK with us using their tax dollars to feed really bad food and sugary drinks to children who perhaps need something more nutritious?’’
Biasiucci told Capitol Media Services the program is in need of reform.
“I look back and realize SNAP was originally designed to provide people in need with an opportunity to put food on the table in a time when they are struggling,’’ he said. “But it has turned into this free-for-all where, outside of alcohol and tobacco, you can buy whatever you want. I don’t think that was ever the intent of the program.’’
As originally written, his HB 2165 also included a ban on using food stamps for candy.
Candy was defined as “a preparation of sugar, honey or other natural or artificial sweetener in combination with chocolate, fruit, nuts or other ingredients or flavorings that form bars, drops or pieces.’’ That bothered Mesa Republican Rep. Ralph Heap, who called the language “vague.’’
“What’s a Twix bar and what’s in a granola bar?’’ Heap asked.
Consider, he said a “power bar.’’
“You ever look what’s in that stuff?’’ he said. “It looks like the healthiest things are really not.’’
Heap’s opposition killed Biasiucci’s original version of HB 2165 a week ago, forcing him to recraft it — this time focused solely on soda, calling it “a step in the right direction.’’
But the narrowed version annoyed Gardner on behalf of his client, the Arizona Beverage Association.
“It’s unclear what this bill is ultimately trying to accomplish,’’ he said. “I’m not sure of the big policy objective we hope to achieve by passing this bill — other than trying to put a scarlet letter on the soda industry.’’
Gardner said if lawmakers want to look at the issues of nutrition and food stamps they should have “an intellectual conversation about making sure that Arizonans are making healthy food choices.’’
“But, at the same time, let’s don’t shame people for being downtrodden for this little segment of their life,’’ he said.
The most recent data from the DES shows that nearly 463,000 families with a total of 925,000 individuals were getting SNAP benefits. The average issuance was $180 a month per individual.
A third of recipients are children, and a third of all who get food stamps are working families, M.J. Simpson, a lobbyist with the William E. Morris Institute for Justice, told lawmakers.
“SNAP recipients are taxpayers,’’ she said. “SNAP are federal dollars.’’
And then there’s that question of whether they are making bad choices. “SNAP recipients do not have a greater rate of obesity than the general public,’’ Simpson said.
Biasiucci told colleagues he’s not buying claims there’s nothing unhealthy about sodas.
“You can easily say there is no nutritional value, zero, of drinking Coke or Sprite or 7-Up,’’ he said. “I’m kind of blown away that it’s being stated that there’s no data to show that drinking sugary drinks has no impact on your health.’’
In the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, “the word ‘nutrition’ is literally in the title,’’ Biasiucci said. “We need to get back to these dollars going to foods that actually provide nutritional value.’’
Rep. Alma Hernandez said she appreciates what Biasiucci wants to do “in ensuring that we can create a healthier society.’’
But the Tucson Democrat said there are many other issues that contribute to problems such as diabetes.
She also said the government, having decided that food stamps are necessary, should not tell recipients what they can and cannot buy.
“That’s a personal decision these individuals should be able to make,’’ she said.
Rep. Sarah Liguori, D-Phoenix, said the conversation about what SNAP recipients ought to be able to buy “was centered around privilege and control.’’
“Those in positions of privilege are trying to control one variable in a sea of a dozen, if not many dozen, variables in people’s lives,’’ she said, with the attitude being, “’You have money, it’s our money even though it’s your money as well, and we get to dictate where and how you spend it.’”
Liguori said if lawmakers want to deal with nutrition, they should increase SNAP benefits and provide more access to healthy foods, since the price of food is high. She also said more needs to be done to decrease “food deserts,’’ neighborhoods with only limited access to affordable, healthy food.
