Maryland Matters – SNAP proposals are a cruel game of avoidance
Across the nation, lower-income families rely on America’s largest agricultural and nutrition legislation, known as the “Farm Bill.” It defines commodity pricing for farmers, encourages environmental stewardship, and importantly, provides nutrition assistance for low-income households including through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). As Congress drafts its next reauthorization, several members, including Rep. Andy Harris (R-1st), are hoping to include misguided policies into this essential bill.
Two proposals, theHealthy SNAP Actand a SNAPpilot program, would ultimately place more burdens on consumers and expand the reach of government further into individual decisions about nutrition, without evidence of better overall health outcomes for the American people. If tacked on to the Farm Bill, these ideas would empower the government to determine which foods poor and working-class families are allowed to eat.
The SNAP pilot program proposes a five-state experiment that would limit food stamp purchases to “nutrient-dense” items and mandate the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to categorize more than 600,000 products. There’s a catch: No one knows what “nutrient-dense” means. When left up to subjective sorting by regulators, products ranging from sparkling water to cheese could be on the chopping block.
As a physician, this is yet another example of well-meaning policymakers thinking they can regulate people into good health behaviors. I truly believe that lawmakers and regulators want to create better outcomes for people that amount to longer, healthier lives for patients and reduced financial strain on our health care system. But there’s little reason to believe that these kinds of policy overhauls that take an insultingly paternalistic approach to the American people will do anything to reduce obesity at the population level.