The Easter Bunny Is On The Chopping Block For Food Stamps
Reducing benefits is a low blow to 42 million Americans struggling to make ends meet who rely on SNAP benefits to put food on the table. Ironically, 91 of the top 100 counties receiving SNAP benefits are in states that voted for the current administration. But earmarking chocolate Easter bunnies and other confections for expulsion along with alcoholic beverages and tobacco is throwing out the bunny with the bathwater. Cracking down on candy might make for good headlines, but the evidence confirms that candy and chocolate are not the obesity villains they might appear to be. Far from it.
At Georgetown University and previously at Hudson Institute, we have conducted detailed studies on how indulgent foods and beverages have been purchased and consumed since 2016. All of our analyses have concluded that chocolate and non-chocolate candy behave differently than other foods and beverages termed 'junk' or ultra-processed.
Our latest report noted that, unlike other indulgent products, consumers with obesity don't buy chocolate and candy any more frequently than those at a healthy weight. Surprisingly, the 'healthiest of the healthiest' consumers as defined by Natural Marketing Institute's Health & Wellness Consumer Segmentation buy chocolate and candy at rates 26% more than the general population. We also learned, by analyzing National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data, that candy and chocolate contribute only 1.8% of the calories we eat and a nominal 6.4% of added sugars. This latter statistic compares to 40.4% contributed by the beverage category.
Another key finding is that chocolate and candy are eaten mostly as an occasional treat, and in smaller portions. You rarely encounter anyone gorging on an entire box of bon-bons. In fact, the National Confectioners Association has leaned into this trend and encouraged it with their Always a Treat Initiative. The industry group committed through the Partnership for a Healthier America to make at least half of its single-serve products available in packages that were 200 calories or less. This commitment was achieved by the end of 2021.
While chocolate has a small impact on calories consumed, it has a big impact on well-being. According to the 2024 Getting to Know Chocolate Consumers report, while only 12% of the population consumes chocolate daily, 72% of Americans feel that chocolate belongs in a happy, balanced lifestyle. Perhaps most telling is a finding by the 2024 State of Snacking report that cited that 73% of consumers say they 'can't imagine a world without chocolate,' up 6% since 2019.
Chocolate and candy have been associated with giving emotional support to consumers and improving their moods. A 2024 study in the journal Nature reconfirmed that 'cocoa-rich products had a significant short-term effect on depressive symptoms. In a systematic review by Scholey and Owen, 5 out of 8 studies concluded that chocolate or its constituents positively affect mood.'
And Americans need all the emotional help they can get. The 2024 American Psychiatric Association's annual mental health poll cited that 43% of adults say they felt more anxious than they did compared to 32% in 2022. Gallup reports that stress has been rising sharply over the past 2 decades with 49% in 2023 saying they frequently experience stress in daily life, up from 33% in 2003.
Interestingly, five of the top 10 happiest countries in the world consume the most chocolate per capita each year. Unfortunately, the U.S. doesn't even make it into the top 10 in either category, and in 2024 came in at #24, its lowest ranking since the World Happiness Report launched 13 years ago.
Americans need a lift in these tumultuous times. Eliminating food stamp or SNAP benefits hurts those least able to handle financial and mental health burdens. Taking away their candy adds insult to injury despite solid evidence to the contrary. We need policymakers to act more surgically in tackling America's obesity crisis. Banishing the Easter Bunny is just plain cruel.
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