Judge Halts Junk Food Restrictions for SNAP Beneficiaries in Five States
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
A federal judge overturned a pilot project by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health that restricted the purchase of sugary foods and beverages for SNAP beneficiaries in five states. The plaintiffs, beneficiaries of the program in Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee, and West Virginia, argued that these restrictions were illegal, harmful, and approved without following required procedures. They stated that the project limited the purchase of crucial health and wellness products, such as drinks for managing type 1 diabetes, kidney issues, and low energy. According to Judge Amy Berman Jackson, the USDA incorrectly applied the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to the pilot projects. The measure was implemented under an administrative efficiency statute of the program, when, according to the judge, it should have been treated as a health, nutrition, and obesity reduction project. The judge's decision explained that the USDA violated a public notice regulation. For any SNAP project that has a significant impact, the USDA must publish a notice in the Federal Register at least 30 days before the project begins, an action that, according to the lawsuit, was not carried out.
AI summary · Source: Telemundo McAllen (KTLM) →
