NEW SNAP RESTRICTIONS IN TX; MORE STATES TO COME

Texas is the latest of 22 states to implement new restrictions on what types of food and drinks can be bought using SNAP – the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The new rules bar SNAP recipients from using their benefits to buy non-nutritious items like candy and soda. But advocates warn that restricting unhealthy food options won’t make healthy food more affordable and may only cause confusion among both SNAP recipients and the retailers who participate in the program. “In order for people to have a healthy diet, they needed to be able to shop and afford the food where they live, where they went to school, and where they gather. None of those things are being met,” says Gina Plata-Nino, the Director of Advocacy & Policy for SNAP at the Food Research & Action Center. Correspondent Leigh Waldman has all the details in a 3pE PKG with FREE custom talkbacks from New York City.