September 30, 2025
Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe would like to restrict purchases using SNAP benefits to exclude candy, soda, and prepared desserts.
On the face of it, it makes sense: Why should the state pay for items that have no nutritional value, and can actually harm health?
Unfortunately, I can’t help but think that it may be done more out of vindictiveness than concern for health. It’s like saying, “Because you get SNAP benefits, you’re a second-class citizen and don’t get to decide what groceries you can buy.”
(It reminds me of the Georgette Heyer book Charity Girl, when an orphan’s relatives decide to call her by her given name, Charity, rather than her nickname, Cherry, to remind her that they took her out of charity, and she had no real standing in the family; it was a deliberate humiliation.)
So, while I strongly encourage people, whether they’re on SNAP or not, to avoid loading their diets and their kids’ diets with sugar, should somebody else really get to decide for them?
Discuss.
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