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A study by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that stores sell more sweet drinks on days when SNAP benefits are granted. (Elaine Thompson / AP)
Texas lawmakers are taking a closer look at energy drinks, soda and candy. State Representative Briscoe Cain (R), who represents Baytown in the Houston area, Last month, the parliamentary committee on human services tabled a bill prohibiting people from using food stamps to pay for energy drinks, sweets and other empty foods.
The Texas bill aims to curb the spread of diabetes and other health issues related to unhealthy eating.
The complementary nutrition assistance program, known as food stamps, provides nutritional assistance to approximately 42 million Americans, under a program costing approximately $ 70 billion per year. year to taxpayers. According to a report released in 2016 by the US Department of Agriculture, sweetened beverages make up about 10% of the food dollars spent by SNAP.
A study by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that stores sell more sweet drinks on days when SNAP benefits are granted, which could partly explain the $ 700 million worth of beneficiaries.
The Texas bill is not the first time lawmakers are trying to limit government subsidies on sugary drinks. In 2012, Ronda Storms (R), a Florida senator, sponsored a bill to limit the purchase of sodas and junk food with SNAP dollars. That has not happened.
In 2010, the USDA rejected the request of New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (D) to ban the use of food voucher dollars for Purchase of sodas.
[Food stamps and online grocery shopping are about to mix]
Critics of these efforts argue that the government is undermining the freedom of low-income Americans. In fact, non-SNAP households spend almost as much money on sugary drinks, accounting for 7% of food purchases, according to a USDA report.
"Before 2015, there was no directive for added sugar. We are establishing a threshold, "said Mary Story, a specialist in child and adolescent nutrition at the Duke World Health Institute and a member of the USDA's Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee for 2015, in a recent interview.
The guidelines, currently under revision for 2020, recommend limiting calories from added sugars to no more than 10% of daily intake. That's 200 calories, or about 12 teaspoons, for a 2,000-calorie diet.
A 16 ounce Rockstar Punched Tropical Guava Energy Drink contains 62 grams of sugar, more than five times daily recommendations for added sugars.
"People are used from an early age to love sweetness and fat," Story said, citing misleading labeling to perpetuate the overconsumption of calories added to sugar. "You can put health and nutrition claims as well as fruit images on a label. Look at SunnyD: This is not a fruit drink, but there are pictures of fruit on the label. "
SunnyD consists mainly of water and corn syrup with 2% or less of juice concentrate.
Story also targets fruit snacks, often glorified gelatin bears, which bear fruit on labels, as well as a growing array of baby milks and herbal milks often formulated with a lot of added sugar.
"There was always the feeling that [obesity] was the fault of the individual. It's really the environment in which people live. Consumers have a right to know what their food is, "she said.
Artificial sweeteners are not the solution either.
"Artificial sweeteners do not have the usual effect of satiety, and they always expose children to sweetness," Story said.
[As zero-calorie natural sweeteners such as stevia surge in popularity, here’s what you need to know]
Daniel Lubetzky, billionaire general manager of KIND Snacks, has launched his own battle for labeling added sugars.
"The sugar industry for nearly 70 years has deliberately puzzled consumers," Lubetzky said. "They knew the damaging impact of sugar on our health and found a way to hide it and point to fat, you can call it something healthy, and it can be mostly sugar. an enriched water that contains 60% of your daily sugar consumption, but you do not have to reveal it, some special interests defend their interests ".
Lubetzky argues that the US agricultural system is designed to favor crops producing unhealthy processed foods, and that more nutritionally dense products are typically 10 times more expensive.
Educating consumers about added sugars also poses a problem, Lubetzky said: There are more than 100 names of sugars and sweeteners. He quotes a recent and controversial Lancet article on health and nutrition in the world. He found that on the planet, the consumption of almost all healthy foods and nutrients was sub-optimal, while that of all unhealthy items exceeded the recommended level, specifically labeling unhealthy beverages, sodium and processed meats unhealthy. and red meats. It has also revealed a disproportionate burden in low-income countries.
"The main reason is that more people are dying today because of what they eat than alcohol and tobacco abuse." Infectious diseases are in the process of becoming more commonplace. to be conquered and are in decline, but inflammatory diseases like obesity and heart disease are exploding, "he said.
[The disturbing links between too much weight and several types of cancer]
When the SNAP program was launched in the 1960s, the goal was to provide enough calories to low-income Americans. With soaring rates of obesity among the poor, limiting empty calories from sugary drinks and junk food does not seem to be a mistake.
Limiting unhealthy food purchases with SNAP dollars may not be the solution, but according to Lubetzky, transparency of labeling and consumer education are a must for us all.
The Texas bill, when passed, would come into effect on September 1 st.
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