Why NYC's proposed Food Stamp Restrictions are a Social Issue, not one of Public Health

As most people in my life know, I have recently spent two years living in poverty serving as an Americorps*VISTA. I learned a lot from this experience, both in my service and in the poverty community. As a result, I have developed certain very strong opinions when it comes to poverty-related issues here in America. Although my goal for this blog (and, let's be honest, my life) is to be as non-serious as possible, sometimes a different tone needs to be affected. What follows is my take on Mayor Bloomberg's request to ban soda and sugary drinks from eligible food stamp purchases in NYC. Enjoy or skip, either way I'll post again soon!

This week, Mayor Bloomberg petitioned the Department of Agriculture to allow New York to ban Food Stamp purchases of soda and other sugary drinks. While Bloomberg has garnered a reputation for implementing healthy initiatives, this is one that will do more harm than good for the 1.7 million people that make up the food stamp population in the city.  

Consider the stigma that already exists in America against our low-income community. Failing to lead a prosperous life is equated with a failure to achieve the American Dream. And since the narrative of the Dream is one of hard work and sacrifice, well, the opposite is what often gets equated with those living below the bootstrap standard.  Placing healthy food qualifications on food stamp purchases would perpetuate and propel this stereotype.

If you qualify for food stamps, your life is already riddled with enough challenges and struggles outside of the added worry of whether your grocery store purchases will be approved at checkout or if you’ll have to experience an announcement of shame when the cashier informs you that you won’t be able to take your soda home. If the DOA approves Bloomberg’s request, parents wouldn’t even be able to purchase a fruit punch for their child’s birthday party. Not to mention the slippery slope side of this argument. The mix for the birthday cake might be next on the chopping block. A more dramatically inclined slope could even lead to restrictions on sugary drink purchases for all citizens, regardless of payment method.

If the true goal of this request is to reach the disproportionately obese low-income community with nutritional information, then declaring an edict is not the way to do it. If Bloomberg wants to make benefits conditional why not invest more in health education for public assistance beneficiaries? New York could require the reading of a pamphlet or a test on the food pyramid before an EBT card is distributed. Another partial solution to this problem could be creating access to affordable healthy alternatives. New York City isn’t exactly overrun with cheap produce.  

Luckily, there is a precedent that indicates the DOA will not approve the request. In 2004, Minnesota was turned down for a ban on Food Stamp purchases of junk food as it violated the Food Stamp Act’s definition of what is food. The DOA stated in their response that they believed “supporting healthier food choices through nutrition education and promotion is preferable to the proposed mandate.”