Hoosier households that rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to feed their families will encounter new restrictions at Indiana SNAP retailers in the new year.
Beginning Thursday, SNAP benefits no longer can be used to purchase soft drinks or candy in Indiana, in accordance with a federal waiver supporting Republican Gov. Mike Braun's initiative to "Make Indiana Healthy Again."
According to the governor's office, the goal is to reduce adult and childhood obesity by limiting access to items that contribute to the problem and to encourage SNAP participants to consider purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables instead.
"This isn't the usual top-down, one-size-fits-all public health agenda. We're focused on root causes — and taking on the problems in government programs that are contributing to making our communities less healthy," Braun said.
Officials at the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) said they've been working with retailers for months to ensure a smooth rollout, including updates to point-of-sale systems to exclude restricted items, training staff on new SNAP purchasing rules, and submitting documentation to confirm compliance.
Though plenty of loopholes remain in the state's SNAP program.
For example, under Indiana law a "soft drink" is any nonalcoholic beverage that contains natural or artificial sweeteners — excluding products containing milk, including soy and other milk substitutes, or drinks that are more than 50% fruit or vegetable juice.
That means a zero-calorie, zero-sugar artificially flavored carbonated water is ineligible for purchase using SNAP, while a bottled 13.7 ounce Starbucks frappuccino, containing 300 calories and 68% of recommended daily sugar intake, is permitted since it contains milk.
Indiana's definition of "candy" is a preparation of sugar, honey or other natural or artificial sweeteners in combination with chocolate, fruits, nuts or other ingredients or flavorings in the form of bars, drops or pieces.
Items containing flour, such as a Kit Kat or a granola bar, or requiring refrigeration, such as desserts, do not count as candy and still can be bought on SNAP.
Notably, the soft drink and candy prohibition only applies at Indiana SNAP retailers. Hoosiers who choose to use their federally funded SNAP benefits in Illinois likely will not encounter any restrictions, according to FSSA.
Indiana is among 18 mostly Republican-led states to restrict SNAP purchases beyond the traditional prohibited items of alcohol, tobacco and hot prepared foods.
In Indiana, an individual must have monthly take-home pay less than $1,305, and limited assets, to obtain a SNAP allotment of up to $292. Approximately 600,000 Hoosiers are enrolled in SNAP.
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