- Utah Rep. Kristen Chevrier proposes HB569 to ban SNAP purchases of "ultra-processed food."
- The bill follows a soda ban, aiming to reduce unhealthy food in SNAP carts.
- Utahns Against Hunger opposes restrictions; Chevrier defends taxpayer stewardship and program mission.
SALT LAKE CITY — Less than two months after Utah's ban on using food stamps to buy soda went into effect, a state lawmaker wants to take it a step further.
HB569, sponsored by Rep. Kristen Chevrier, R-Highland, would prohibit Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program benefits, commonly known as SNAP, from being used to buy "ultra-processed food."
Her bill currently defines that as "food containing additives and that is high in saturated fat, sodium or added sugars." But Chevrier told KSL she is still working on more precise wording.
"The goal is to minimize the amount of ultra-processed, unhealthy food that is going into the SNAP grocery carts," Chevrier said. "But this definition is not the final definition. We still have a lot of work to do, and we're working on it."
The nonprofit Utahns Against Hunger opposes limiting SNAP purchases any further.
"Instead of restricting what people can buy, maybe we should treat them like adults and allow them to purchase the food that makes sense for their families," said Gina Cornia, the organization's executive director.
Chevrier sponsored last year's bill exempting soda purchases from SNAP benefits. That bill took effect at the beginning of the year after the U.S. Department of Agriculture granted Utah's waiver request.
That bill last year was met with some bipartisan pushback, including from Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, R-South Jordan, who said: "This strikes me as such nanny-statism." Fillmore and seven other Republicans joined several Democrats in voting against the bill, which narrowly passed.
Asked about this year's bill to restrict ultra-processed foods for SNAP recipients, Fillmore said he likely has similar concerns.
"I haven't seen that bill, but I would predict that I probably would vote against it," he told reporters Tuesday.
"We are using taxpayer dollars, and we are advertising the program as being a nutrition program, and so what we are actually doing is we're being good stewards of taxpayer dollars, and we are fulfilling the mission of the program," Chevrier said, responding to the criticism. "People can buy whatever they want with their own dollars, but we're not obligated to fund whatever people want with taxpayer dollars."
Daniel Woodruff, KSLUtah's ban on soda purchases last year got attention from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who said it was part of making Utah a leader in his "Make America Healthy Again" health movement. Seventeen other states — including Idaho and Colorado — have had similar waivers approved limiting what can be purchased with food stamps, according to the Department of Agriculture.
The Department of Health and Human Services put out new dietary guidelines last month, which recommend that Americans eat more protein and less sugar than previously advised and that they avoid highly processed foods.
HB569 has just been introduced and has yet to receive a committee hearing. The legislative session ends March 6.
Chevrier has several other food-related bills this session that are moving through the process. One would add to the list of prohibited food additives at school, while another would allow the sale of raw milk products without a permit.
