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The American Heart Association says it supports efforts by West Virginia lawmakers and health officials to remove sugary drinks from the list of things that can be bought with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
Earlier this month Gov. Patrick Morrisey requested a waiver for the federal government to remove those beverages from SNAP. This week, the American Heart Association submitted a letter in support of that request.
“What we know is that sugary drinks are the single largest source of added sugars in Americans diets, and they have zero nutritional value,” said Mark Schoeberl, the association’s executive vice president for advocacy.
“We also know that the excess consumption of sugars not only contributes to weight gain or obesity, but it also raises the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and type two diabetes.”
More than 270,000 West Virginians receive SNAP benefits, to help them buy food averaging almost $170 per person per month. According to Schoeberl sugary drinks are the biggest category. .
“SNAP originally focused on addressing food insecurity, but we also see SNAP as a way to encourage and to really incentivize, you know, purchasing healthier food options,” he said.“It’s about improving nutrition and the health of all individuals, including those that rely on SNAP.”
He pointed out that sugary beverages are already prohibited in other federal nutrition programs supported by federal dollars, including the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program as well as school lunch programs.
Schoeberl said the association is hopeful the U.S. Department of Agriculture will approve the waiver quickly, as it has for Iowa, Indiana and Nebraska.