Five food stamp recipients have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture over new restrictions on purchasing junk food, soda, and energy drinks with taxpayer money.
The Trump administration ordered the restrictions on “non-nutritious” items in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
‘When I shop for food, I have to read the ingredient list on everything I buy to try to figure out if I can use SNAP to buy it.’
The National Center for Law and Economic Justice as well as Shinder Cantor Lerner filed the lawsuit at the behest of the recipients from Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
“The food restriction waivers contain no exceptions for individual medical, nutritional, or household circumstances,” the lawsuit reads. “Instead, the food restriction waivers place on recipients and retailers the responsibility for determining whether a particular product is a permissible SNAP purchase under each state’s altered definition of ‘food.'”
Supporters of the new restrictions say that taxpayer funds should not be spent on snacks and other unhealthy foods, while critics say the restrictions are unfair to recipients and confusing.
One plaintiff said her daughter suffers from “avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder,” and the restrictions don’t allow her to buy the food that she can ingest.
“Her physicians have advised Plaintiff Johnson to provide her daughter with whatever foods she is able to eat in order to avoid nutritional deterioration and invasive medical intervention,” the lawsuit reads.
Another plaintiff named Marc Craig from Iowa said the new restrictions confuse him.
“I am finding Iowa’s food restriction waiver extremely complicated to navigate,” he said. “When I shop for food, I have to read the ingredient list on everything I buy to try to figure out if I can use SNAP to buy it. I still get to the register only to be told I cannot use SNAP to buy everything I have selected.”
Another plaintiff said sugary drinks were important to him as a sufferer of diabetes.
“I would have told USDA that many people have medical or personal reasons for the foods and drinks they choose, Nieves Aragon said.
“For me, certain drinks can be lifesaving. When my blood sugar drops, I need something like juice or a sugary drink immediately to raise it and prevent a dangerous situation,” he added.
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“The practical effect,” the plaintiffs said, “is to destabilize food access for every SNAP participant in the affected states.”
“Once again, the Trump administration is making it up as they go along and disregarding the damage. We are asking the Court to immediately block implementation of these unlawful food restriction waivers,” said Katharine Deabler-Meadows, a senior lawyer for the National Center for Law and Economic Justice.
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