A bill before the Utah Legislature would seek a waiver from the federal government in order to prohibit the purchase of candy and soda with the use of SNAP benefits. (Getty Images)
The “Make America Healthy Again” movement, popularized by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has made its way to the Utah Legislature. Candy and soft drinks — beverages that partially define Utah’s culture — could be on the chopping block for those who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in the state.
Rep. Kristen Chevrier, R-Highland, has a bill that would require Utah’s Department of Workforce Services to request a waiver from the federal government in order to prohibit the purchase of candy and soda with the use of SNAP benefits.
“This is a common-sense proposal … and one that will be well received not only by the Trump administration but also by anyone who is concerned about the epidemic of obesity and chronic illness in our nation,” Chevrier told the House Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee on Friday.
The committee voted 7-2 to advance the bill. It now awaits a House floor discussion.
Chevrier’s proposal is part of a push by Republican legislators across the country to align with Kennedy’s views on healthy living.
Calley Means — co-founder of Truemed, a health and wellness platform that allows people to use tax-advantaged savings accounts to purchase exercise equipment, supplements and other health tech — said he is an adviser to RFK Jr. and President Donald Trump and claimed to have facilitated their introduction after Trump’s assassination attempt. He co-presented the bill with Chevrier.
“I think it is worth just noting, we all know this, but the fact that a Kennedy and President Trump bonded and woke up the conscience of America, I think in many ways, ‘MAHA’ moms, whatever side of the aisle you’re on, this is a really notable political event,” he said.
Means called HB403 a “no-brainer” way for Utah to lead the way on the issue of safeguarding public health.
“This is a nonpartisan issue about subsidizing poison for kids and I know we might have disagreements on that, but truly, sugar water and addictive sugar water is really not a good thing,” he said.
There are similar efforts to restrict certain foods from SNAP benefits on the federal level including one from Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee and Alabama Sen. Katie Britt that would exclude soft drinks, candy, ice cream and prepared desserts from being purchased with SNAP.
“Sen. Mike Lee is pushing this on the federal level, and I’m working with him, so certainly Utah backing him up to show support on his bipartisan effort to get this passed nationally would be great,” Means said.
Chevrier added she fully expects the current administration to accept the waiver.
“SNAP recipients will still be able to purchase soft drinks and candy if they wish, with their own income,” she said. “If they do, Utah businesses that rely on the sale of soft drinks and/or candy may not be as financially impacted as they fear. I know that the Retailers Association and the Beverage Association oppose this legislation because it may affect their bottom line.”
Dave Davis, president of the Utah Food Industry Association, said he wanted to “dispel a notion” that the reason he’s opposed to the legislation is because it affects the retail industry’s profits.
“It just simply does not,” he said. “These SNAP dollars are going to be spent in the stores regardless of whether they’re spent on candy, soda or any other item, so this has zero to do with a retailer’s bottom line.”
Instead, Davis said, Utah should consider waiting to see what happens with the waiver Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has sent to the administration.
“I know that we always want to be leaders, but we want to be smart as well,” Davis said. “So shouldn’t we sit back, look at what happens with that waiver, and then learn from that and proceed accordingly?”
Critics of the effort had concerns about protecting the dignity of choice and vague definitions in the bill.
Director of Utahns Against Hunger Gina Cornia said while the organization wants to promote healthier choices, people need to be treated like adults and practice personal responsibility.
“We should all have the freedom to make choices for our own families, even choices that some see as poor choices,” she said.
Des Barker, a representative for the Utah Beverage Association, said work needs to be done on the definition of soft drinks as written in the bill. Currently, soft drinks are defined as “a nonalcoholic beverage that is made with carbonated water and that is flavored and sweetened with sugar or artificial sweeteners.”
“When you walk down your grocery aisle, 60% of the beverages that are on your grocery aisle today have zero sugar,” Barker said. “That is because of the innovation of the industry to respond to what customers wanted and the health concerns of the nation, not because the government mandated it, but because the customers asked for zero-calorie options.”
Several committee members said they had experience using SNAP or other types of government assistance food programs.
Rep. Verona Mauga, D-Taylorsville, said she loved the idea of promoting healthy communities but didn’t believe this was the right way to do it.
“I was a young mom who was on SNAP, and sometimes I had to be really creative with how I made dinner,” Mauga said. “And so if that meant providing soda sometimes, so your kid would eat his broccoli and his chicken, that’s something that you have to do.”
Rep. John Hawkins, R-Pleasant Grove, said he had been on SNAP before and was hesitant to support the bill at first.
“I’m not a huge proponent of the government stepping in and telling people what they can and can’t consume with their food,” he said. “But as I thought about it, I’ve come to the conclusion that in this particular case, I think the government does have the right to say, ‘We want you to be healthy and we want to set the parameters around what you can use government subsidies for.”
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