Arkansas is moving forward with its plan to ban government food aid from being used to buy candy and soda, despite a federal judge ruling last week that similar restrictions in other states violated federal law. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders cited an urgent need to combat a “chronic disease epidemic” in America, including high rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

Background

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides a monthly stipend for low-income families to buy groceries. It is used by nearly 42 million Americans, or about one in eight. Debates over SNAP benefits are common, with lawmakers at the state and federal level debating which foods should be eligible for purchase with SNAP.

Arkansas is one of 23 states to receive a waiver allowing it to restrict the purchase of some sugary foods and drinks. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins have pushed for the ban as part of the “Make America Healthy Again” campaign.

Implementation

Grocery stores are responsible for enforcing the SNAP restrictions. Steve Goode, executive director of the Arkansas Grocers and Retail Merchants Association, said that he “wouldn’t want to guess” at how prepared the state’s businesses are to implement the benefits changes this week. The state has helped by hiring a third-party vendor to create a list of banned items for the stores to reference.

The state has also created an app for SNAP beneficiaries to use that will help them determine which items are eligible for purchase and which aren’t. The app is part of the state’s efforts to make the transition as smooth as possible for both beneficiaries and retailers.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.