June 22, 2013 -- The war on soda continues and this time the fight has turned to food stamps.
Led by everyone’e favorite elected official, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, 18 mayors are fighting against food stamps being used to buy soda and other sugary beverages, according to the Associated Press.Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn andPortland Mayor Charlie Hales have joined that fight.
In a letter to Congress, the mayors say banning the use of food stamps for unhealthy drinks could be a step toward fighting obesity. Despite the list of liberal mayors, this is one push that could get support from all sides. According to the National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative think tank, “American taxpayers subsidize the purchase of about $4 billion worth of soda products annually.”
“I’m all for freedom of choice and respecting peoples’ personal decisions, but Coke lobbying for its share of food stamp money is above and beyond altruism,” David Almasi, executive director of the policy center said in an April press release. “While publicly promoting so-called ‘sustainability’ by hyping good nutrition and active lifestyles, Coca Colalobbyists are quietly seeking to ensure that American taxpayers subsidize the company’s high-calorie, sugary beverages. Both political parties carp about cutting the budget and fixing the deficit. How about stopping this virtual river of soda being paid for with our tax dollars?”
But Bloomberg, whose leading the group of mayors, is not looking to save money in the food stamp program. According to the AP, he’s fighting proposed cuts and suggesting incentives for healthy choices. The U.S. House on Thursday rejected a version of theFarm Bill that would have included deeper cuts to the food stamp program, formally known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Now, it makes up 80 percent of the Farm Bill.
Belit Burke, Oregon’s statewide manager of the SNAP program, told Northwest Watchdog that participants in the program, which was intended just to supplement families’ grocery needs, are using the program for their whole food budget. She said this often leads to families not getting enough food and then shopping hungry when they get their food stamps. That hunger translates to food fantasies which means cravings get stronger and food stamp participants might not make the healthiest of choices.
“That’s a cycle that some people get caught into,” she said. One in five Oregoniansreceive food stamps and the program has grown by 68 percent since 2008.
