Latest news with #SNAP-eligible
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Nebraska grocers raise concerns about ban on soda, energy drinks from public grocery aid
A customer is rung up by a cashier in a grocery store on July 15, 2022, in Houston, Texas. () LINCOLN — Local grocers sounded alarm bells Tuesday about the potential negative impacts that incoming restrictions to Nebraska's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program could have on businesses and the more than 150,000 Nebraskans who use the program. During this year's legislative session, lawmakers passed waivers to SNAP — a government food assistance service some also refer to as food stamps. The updates would remove soda and other energy drinks from the list of SNAP-eligible purchases starting in 2026. Nebraska would be the first state in the nation to ban soda and energy drinks from SNAP purchases. Gov. Jim Pillen has publicly supported the state waivers, referring to the affected drinks as 'junk.' 'There's absolutely zero reason for taxpayers to be subsidizing purchases of soda and energy drinks,' Pillen said at a USDA event in May. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently approved the waivers, and Nebraska's Department of Health and Human Services held a hearing Tuesday to hear public comments on the proposed changes. The updates still require approval from DHHS' Office of Economic Assistance, Pillen and the Attorney General before they take effect. USDA approval also comes on the heels of congressional passage of the federal budget reconciliation bill, which will increase work requirements for SNAP participation, requirements not addressed during the state hearing. Only two people spoke at the hearing — representing advocacy group Nebraska Appleseed and the Nebraska Grocery Industry Association — though more organizations submitted written testimony that were not immediately made available to the public. Shannon McCord, vice president of the grocer group's board of directors and operator of a local grocery store in Superior, Nebraska, said the 'state-by-state patchwork approach' to SNAP regulations is confusing to retailers and could do more harm than good. 'Even if the intention is good, these waivers are going to add costs and do real harm to local grocers,' McCord said. The waivers would require grocers to update their payment systems, which McCord described as a 'costly and complex task' that would be significantly harder for small and rural retailers like himself to accomplish. His store in Superior is also near the Kansas border, which does not have the same SNAP restrictions, and he fears the changes could encourage his customers to travel across the border for their groceries. For businesses operating on slim margins like his own, McCord said the restrictions could force owners to make layoffs or other cutbacks, or even close their doors. Additionally, he said it would add shame and stigma to customers who depend on SNAP. 'If (retailers) disappear and we develop a food desert, are we really solving a health problem when customers are only getting food from dollar stores and processed boxed foods?' McCord asked. Madison Castor, law clerk with Nebraska Appleseed, said past attempts at restricting access to SNAP have undermined the program's effectiveness. Rather than imposing restrictions, she claimed that efforts to add incentives to use SNAP benefits on healthier food items like produce have proven more effective at promoting healthier living. By forcing businesses to update their payment systems, Castor feared that would reduce the number of businesses that accept SNAP as payment overall. This would greatly impact the health and livelihoods of Nebraskans who rely on the service. 'SNAP is a vital and temporary lifeline for thousands of Nebraskans,' Castor said. 'Over 150,000 of us count on SNAP to help put food on the table at a time when costs are high and family budgets are tight. These proposed rules seek to implement a SNAP restriction waiver that harms the dignity and autonomy of Nebraskans.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Colorado SNAP benefits to cover up to $60 for qualifying fruits, vegetables
DENVER (KDVR) — Coloradans who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits have the opportunity to be reimbursed up to $60 a month when purchasing qualifying fruits and vegetables, according to a press release from the Colorado Department of Human Services. The Colorado SNAP Produce Bonus program provides an immediate credit for the fruits and vegetables from participating locations to the shopper's EBT card. Ball Arena owner buys River Mile development area including Meow Wolf, Elitch Gardens The program stems from a collaboration with Nourish Colorado, which co-piloted the electronic healthy incentive program in an effort to make healthy food more affordable for families. Since the launch of the program, the redemption rate for the bonus has been more than 99%, according to the release. 'The Colorado SNAP Produce Bonus program helps families stretch their food budget and access fruits and vegetables that they may not have bought without this incentive program,' said Abby McClelland, director of CDHS's Food and Energy Assistance Division, in the press release. 'This is especially important with the increase in grocery prices that we have seen recently.' The program said that it has three easy steps, including: Buy eligible fruits and vegetables at a participating retailer Get a dollar-for-dollar match automatically added to your EBT card to use at any SNAP location. Get up to $60 reimbursed per month Spend your bonus on any SNAP-eligible items at any SNAP-authorized retailer 'Most people that come in know about the program and are stoked and then just keep coming back,' said Emma Kottenstette, founder of Farm Runners, a retailer that sells local produce on the Western Slope. 'Once they find out about the program one time, it's like they don't need any convincing.' More than 30 locations participate in the program across Colorado. For more information on the program, visit the Colorado SNAP Produce Bonus website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Colorado Department of Human Services launches new pilot project
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) – Recently, the Colorado Department of Human Services has launched a program in SNAP for Coloradoans to receive a bonus when buying healthy foods. Abby McClelland, the director of the Food and Energy Assistance Division at the Colorado Department of Human Services, states, 'This is a pilot program that we're really excited to be a part of in Colorado. We're one of three states administering this program. So we're really excited that it's available to Colorado SNAP participants.' There is a benefit to eating greens, and there is going to be more green coming to the SNAP program here in the Centennial State. The Colorado Department of Human Services has announced a new pilot project in which Coloradans on the SNAP program can go to participating retailers and buy fruits and vegetables. With and automatically, they will receive a full rebate, up to $60 a month on their SNAP cards, that they can use for any SNAP-eligible food. And the best part is it doesn't require an application or any vouchers. It's all done electronically. McClelland states, 'So I would urge folks to check the retailer list, because we're adding retailers all the time. So far, our focus has been on smaller retailers like farmers market vendors or smaller brick-and-mortar stores in more rural areas in order to keep the benefits feeding the local economy as well, but we're looking to expand to even more retailers over the next year or so. Officials from the CDHS say there are more than 30 locations here in Colorado. WesternSlopeNow was able to see there are three locations on the Western Slope. One in Grand Junction that is only open on Saturdays and two in Hotchkiss. There is another program that is also helping Coloradans with SNAP benefits. 'There's another similar program called Double Up Box, which […] is available at farmers markets, which runs concurrently. So there are multiple ways that people can get these reimbursements for buying produce. That's a program where you do get a paper voucher,' McClelland said. McClelland says Louisiana and Washington State are also among the three states that launched this program. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Nebraska banning soda, energy drinks from SNAP under first federal waiver
Nebraska has received the first federal waiver to ban soda and energy drinks from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps. The move is set to take effect on Jan. 1 as a part of a broader effort to restrict taxpayer dollars from contributing to the purchase of sugary drinks and junk food under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). 'SNAP is about helping families in need get healthy food into their diets, but there's nothing nutritious about the junk we're removing with today's waiver,' Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen (R) said in a Monday press release. Governors in Iowa, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, West Virginia and Colorado are also considering similar changes to SNAP benefits. Program funds are supplied by the USDA and administered individually by states. Recipients right now are able to buy anything except alcohol, tobacco and hot foods. Researchers have long argued that SNAP restrictions are unlikely to change eating patterns, and that it will be costly for the federal government to track 650,000 food and beverage products on the market and 20,000 new products introduced annually, according to economic policy researcher Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach's 2017 testimony before the House Committee on Agriculture. 'The complexity is multiplied because there is no clear standard for defining foods as 'healthy' or 'unhealthy,' or as luxury goods. Creating such standards would be difficult at best, and would entail substantial administrative costs to categorize and track the nutritional profile of each good to produce a SNAP-eligible foods list,' she told lawmakers. 'The list would have to be maintained continuously and communicated to retailers and consumers in real time.' However, Trump administration officials say Nebraska's new initiative falls in line with the 'Make America Healthy Again' agenda of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has largely focused on eliminating disease through food consumption since his confirmation. 'The one place that I would say that we need to really change policy is the SNAP program and food stamps and in school lunches,' Kennedy said in February on Fox News's 'The Ingraham Angle.' 'There, the federal government in many cases is paying for it. And we shouldn't be subsidizing people to eat poison,' he added. Prediabetes now affects 1 in 3 children aged 12-19, while 40 percent of school-aged children and adolescents have at least one chronic condition, according to the USDA. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
20-05-2025
- Health
- The Hill
Nebraska banning soda, energy drinks from SNAP under first federal waiver
Nebraska has received the first federal waiver to ban soda and energy drinks from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps. The move is set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2026 as a part of a broader effort to restrict taxpayer dollars from contributing to the purchase of sugary drinks and junk food under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). 'SNAP is about helping families in need get healthy food into their diets, but there's nothing nutritious about the junk we're removing with today's waiver,' Gov. Jim Pillen (R-Neb.) said in a Monday press release. Governors in Iowa, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, West Virginia and Colorado are also considering similar changes to SNAP benefits. Program funds are supplied by the USDA and administered individually by states. Recipients right now are able to buy anything except alcohol, tobacco and hot foods. Researchers have long argued that SNAP restrictions are unlikely to change eating patterns, and that it will be costly for the federal government to track 650,000 food and beverage products on the market and 20,000 new products introduced annually, according to economic policy researcher Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach's 2017 testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture. 'The complexity is multiplied because there is no clear standard for defining foods as 'healthy' or 'unhealthy,' or as luxury goods. Creating such standards would be difficult at best, and would entail substantial administrative costs to categorize and track the nutritional profile of each good to produce a SNAP-eligible foods list,' she told lawmakers. 'The list would have to be maintained continuously and communicated to retailers and consumers in real time.' However, Trump administration officials say Nebraska's new initiative falls in line with the Make America Healthy Again agenda, trademarked by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has largely focused on eliminating disease through food consumption since his confirmation. 'The one place that I would say that we need to really change policy is the SNAP program and food stamps and in school lunches,' Kennedy previously said during a February appearance on Fox News's 'The Ingraham Angle.' 'There, the federal government in many cases is paying for it. And we shouldn't be subsidizing people to eat poison,' he added. Prediabetes now affects one in three children ages 12 to 19 while 40 percent of school-aged children and adolescents have at least one chronic condition according to the USDA.
