IBA agrees that restrictions on food choices have no place in the SNAP program

WASHINGTON — In a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Independent Bakers Association (IBA) reiterated its opposition to restrictions on food choices in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The letter, addressed to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack, urged the department “not to take any action that would result in a restriction of the food choices available under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.”

In July, the House Appropriations Committee struck down a provision in the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2024 (Farm Bill) that would have allowed states to pilot programs prohibiting SNAP recipients from using their benefits to purchase foods deemed unhealthy. The provision, spearheaded by Agriculture Spending Subcommittee Chairman Andy Harris of Maryland, aimed to combat obesity and related chronic diseases by limiting SNAP purchases to “nutrient-dense” foods and beverages based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

However, an amendment to remove Harris’ provision – a proposal by Rep. Sanford Bishop of Georgia, ranking member of the Farm Spending Committee – passed in a voice vote during a markup session on July 10, passing the FY 2025 farm bill out of committee.

“We urge you to maintain the current choice available to SNAP participants and reject restrictions or pilot projects that would affect not only retailers, their employees, food manufacturers, and others, but most importantly, SNAP participants, who have the same dignity as all consumers and are allowed to choose the foods that are most appropriate for them and their culturally relevant needs,” the IBA said. “We encourage you to focus on proven policy strategies to improve nutrition and food safety, such as the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program incentives, Healthy Fluid Milk Incentives, SNAP-Ed, and improving food access and affordability.”

Food industry trade associations and other organizations had opposed the SNAP program’s food choice restrictions. Opponents argued that the provision would harm access to food by preventing SNAP recipients from exercising the same freedom of choice in purchasing food and beverages as other Americans, and that it would harm food industry stakeholders, particularly retailers and manufacturers.

“SNAP restrictions will diminish individual dignity, fail to improve health outcomes, and increase administrative burdens for both state agencies and retailers,” the letter said. “This will create unnecessary disruption for participants, retailers and their employees who serve as critical private sector partners in implementing these programs, as well as for food manufacturers who are continually innovating to address the very challenges identified in the National Strategy (on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health).”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has made “great progress in reducing the stigma” of receiving SNAP benefits, the letter said.

“Full restrictions or pilot projects for restrictions will reinforce the stigma associated with the program and disproportionately impact communities of color with higher SNAP participation rates,” the letter said. “Administrative hurdles – such as requiring the USDA to maintain and share in real time a list of foods that can be purchased through SNAP, including interoperability between states or municipalities conducting pilot projects and other sites – could hinder our neighbors’ ability to fully utilize this hunger program when they need additional assistance to put food on the table.”

The five-pronged National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, unveiled by the White House in September 2022, aims to improve food access and affordability, integrate nutrition and health, empower all consumers to make more informed and healthier food choices, improve research on nutrition and food safety, and promote physical activity. The initiative was a response to the earlier “Call to Action for the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health,” in which the administration set goals to end hunger by 2030 and reduce diet-related disease while eliminating inequities among the most affected communities.

“The National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health outlined the many different approaches that will help end hunger and promote healthy diets and physical activity by 2030,” the IBA letter said. “It is commendable that the National Strategy did not include punitive restrictions limiting SNAP participants’ ability to limit food choices for themselves and their families. Instead, the National Strategy focused on empowering all consumers, not just low-income consumers, to make and have access to healthy choices by leveraging information and incentives.”

The letter also cited research showing that Americans experiencing food insecurity overwhelmingly oppose policies that limit their access to food or their ability to make their own food purchases.

“SNAP participants’ sentiments were echoed in a recent poll of likely voters, where 73% of respondents said the government should not take away SNAP users’ autonomy by imposing even more restrictions on their food choices,” the letter said. “There is also little support for passing new laws that would make SNAP harder to access, with 73% of likely voters not wanting new restrictions.”