The Idaho House wants to ban candy and soda from the list of eligible foods that can be purchased with federal food benefits.
Lawmakers there passed House Bill 109 Monday morning with just a few votes to spare.
Rep. Jordan Redman (R-Coeur d’Alene), the bill’s main sponsor, said taxpayer dollars should not subsidize unhealthy foods.
Critics of the bill have said its definitions for candy and soda are too broad, potentially blocking SNAP enrollees from buying healthy protein bars or other nutritious foods.
The proposal defines soda as any nonalcoholic beverage that has artificial or natural sweeteners, excluding milk, dairy substitutes and juice made from more than 50% fruit and/or vegetables.
Candy includes any “preparation of sugar, honey, or other natural or artificial sweeteners combined with chocolate, fruits, nuts, or other ingredients or flavorings.” Items containing more than 10% flour by weight or those needing refrigeration would be exempt.
Lobbying groups for grocery stores and other retailers previously testified the measure would be extremely difficult to comply with given those definitions.
“If it’s too difficult, they’re not required to accept SNAP. They don’t have to be involved in the program,” Redman said.
Debate lasted only a few minutes, with House Democratic Leader Ilana Rubel (D-Boise) standing as the only vocal opponent.
In addition to potentially banning SNAP dollars from buying healthy protein bars, Rubel worries the bill would create food deserts if grocery stores in small towns don’t want to make these changes.
“If we put this incredibly vague and unadministerable definition in front of them, we will simply see grocery stores not accepting this and low-income families unable to get food at all,” she said.
“I don’t think they’re going to pass on a $113 billion budget because they’re having difficulty figuring out which foods should fall under [the bill’s definitions],” Redman rebutted.
The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.
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