West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey, a Republican, signed the first letters of intent seeking waivers to allow the state to remove soda from eligibility for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits on Friday, joined by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Kennedy, the leader of the Make America Healthy Again campaign, commended Morrisey at a press conference held at a Martinsburg school.
The four pillars of a healthy West Virginia were presented by the governor.
Kennedy stated that “food is medicine,” while Morrisey discussed the necessity of making sure that “taxpayer-funded nutrition programs promote wholesome, nourishing choices.”
Calley Means, an MAHA supporter and co-founder of TrueMed, was present and is supporting the push to ban soda and highly processed meals in schools.
“President [Donald] Trump is leading the first administration in American history to clearly say that the goal of its Health and Human Services department is to reverse the chronic disease crisis,” Means stated.
According to Means, “An HHS secretary never in history has stood at a podium and said ‘food is medicine’ before Bobby Kennedy [did so] today. This is a profound statement.”
He continued by saying that, “What Bobby Kennedy is saying is that we need to address the root cause of our chronic disease crisis and focus on food.”
According to a June 2021 Department of Agriculture study, 61% of SNAP members stated that the cost of goods that are essential to a balanced diet was the most frequent obstacle.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), regular intake of sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soda, is associated with an increased risk of chronic diseases like obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.
The American Beverage Association’s senior vice president in Washington, D.C., Meredith Potter, stated that citizens’ health is a “important conversation to have.”
“The reality here, though, is that soda is not driving obesity in this country,” Potter stated.
“Obesity rates have increased,” she continued.
“At the same time, soda consumption has declined. Beverage calories overall have declined.”
According to Potter, removing soda from SNAP eligibility won’t result in cost savings for taxpayers.
“You’re not reforming the program. You’re not cutting the program. You’re just telling certain Americans who need help making ends meet at the end of every month what they can and can’t buy,” she stated.
According to Means, the intention is not to deny people access to soda.
“What this move from Secretary Kennedy does is say that states can prevent the taxpayer subsidy of soda,” he stated.
Governor Morrisey announced his proposal to alter school lunches at the press conference on Friday.
“Let’s start with no more dyes and dangerous additives in the schools,” he stated. “We know that studies show that can lead to issues with hormones and hyperactivity and learning challenges.”
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Many of the MAHA bills that have surfaced across focus on school nutrition.
The Healthy Schools Act, enacted by the Arizona House of Representatives in February, prohibits the serving of highly processed foods with dangerous ingredients in public school meals.
Potter added, “We have said since 2006 that schools are special places.”
“When it comes to kids, parents should decide.”
This information has been sourced from Fox News.
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