How new SNAP restrictions on sugary foods and drinks are affecting Texas residents

[0:00] This year, 22 states across the country are changing what people on food assistance can buy [0:05] with their benefits. The new rules are meant to cut out sugary foods and drinks, a central focus [0:11] of the Make America Healthy Again movement. But advocates fear they could cut down on what food [0:15] is available for those in need. Stephanie Sy traveled to Texas, which just introduced its [0:20] ban, to learn how these new cuts will affect businesses and families. At this modest house [0:27] in Garland, Texas, a line stretches out the door and down the sidewalk. Every weekday, [0:34] Good Samaritans of Garland welcomes around 300 families to its food pantry. [0:38] Sarah Kennefake, Food is what brings them in, because that's the first thing you think [0:41] of. Hunger is what takes over your mind and your body. [0:44] Sarah Kennefake is the pantry's executive director. She says many here depend on the federal government's [0:51] Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, to buy groceries. But it's not enough, [0:57] so they come here. In Texas, the average SNAP recipient receives $6 per day. [1:02] I mean, you just look at our economy, things are costing more money, but the other things [1:07] are not changing. The amount of money we make, our minimum wage, our SNAP benefits, all of [1:11] those things are not changing. [1:12] And as of this month, SNAP benefits in the Lone Star State can no longer be used for sweetened [1:18] drinks like soda or items defined as candy. Allowing states to introduce these types of bans [1:25] is a pillar of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again agenda. [1:30] Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: We're not giving our children good food. Taxpayer dollars should not be funding [1:36] these injuries to our children. And we pay for it twice. We pay for it through the SNAP program, [1:42] and we pay for it later on with diabetes and obesity. [1:45] JANE FERGUSONI- Twenty-one other states are rolling out similar restrictions. But in [1:50] some places, implementation has been rocky. In Texas, some of those who receive SNAP say [1:56] the guidelines are confusing. [1:58] For example, one SNAP benefit recipient we spoke to likes to buy energy drinks for her [2:03] kids when they play sports. But with 17 added grams of sugar, that mom can no longer buy this [2:09] with her SNAP benefits. [2:10] JANE FERGUSONI- The state's definition of candy has also raised some eyebrows. It [2:15] includes chocolate, but also gum and yogurt-covered nuts and raisins. [2:20] JANE FERGUSONI- I've seen reports from acquaintances that I tried to check out. My entire transaction [2:27] was declined, and I had to figure out what was not covered. [2:30] JANE FERGUSONI- So what does that mean for somebody at the checkout counter? [2:33] JANE FERGUSONI- It is downright embarrassing. If they don't have the cash to cover, because I've [2:38] been that person, what do you put back? How do you know what to put back? [2:43] JANE FERGUSONI- Garland mom Brittany Quick visits Good Samaritans every other week. [2:48] She used SNAP for years to help feed her family of four. She says the changes might restrict [2:54] a family's options for things like special occasions. [2:57] BRITTANY QUICK- I reminded people, like, hey, this ban's going into effect. If you're [3:00] using your SNAP benefits to help pay for your kids' Easter basket, make sure you go ahead [3:04] and purchase it before the 30th. So I know a lot of friends were like, oh, I didn't even [3:10] think of that. [3:11] JANE FERGUSONI- There are other things she says regulators may not have thought about. [3:15] JANE FERGUSONI- My kid says he has an upset stomach? I go buy Sprite or Ginger Ale, whatever [3:20] it is that gets fluids in him to stay in him. [3:23] JANE FERGUSONI- I feel that they are so detrimental to your health. [3:26] JANE FERGUSONI- Stacey Ellis, a registered dietitian and nutritionist, agrees with the ban, [3:32] especially on soda. [3:33] JANE FERGUSONI- When you're consuming it, it's going straight into your bloodstream. It's causing [3:38] your blood sugar to spike. Your body doesn't like your blood sugar spiking. And so it's [3:42] going to take it and turn it into triglycerides. And so if you do that day after day, that's [3:49] going to further increase your risk of heart disease. And then you'll have what we call [3:54] prediabetes and eventually diabetes. It's a chronic condition, so it slowly starts to deteriorate [3:59] your body. JANE FERGUSONI- Diet-related chronic diseases are the leading cause of death [4:04] in the U.S. Obesity and diabetes alone cost the health care system an estimated $586 billion [4:11] a year. JANE FERGUSONI- When it comes to the government's role in what we eat, what do [4:17] you think that should be? [4:17] JANE FERGUSONI- I understand people's concern with not allowing people access to certain foods. [4:24] We do have the freedom to consume whatever we like, but I do think the government has [4:30] a role in educating the population of what we should and should not eat. [4:34] JANE FERGUSONI- So the patient in room 102... [4:36] JANE FERGUSONI- Leslie Redden is a family nurse practitioner in South Dallas, a predominantly [4:41] black neighborhood where at 68 years, life expectancy is more than 10 years less than the national average. [4:48] We're seeing a significant amount of prediabetes, actually, in our younger population these days. [4:53] JANE FERGUSONI- How young? [4:54] JANE FERGUSONI- I would say my youngest is probably 9 right now, that is in the pre-diabetic [4:58] range that I'm personally caring for, and then we see a significant increase in cholesterol [5:03] levels as well. [5:04] JANE FERGUSONI- But she says, for many of her patients, sugary snacks and drinks aren't [5:08] a preference. [5:09] Instead, they may be one of the few ways to get calories for the day. [5:13] JANE FERGUSONI- I don't believe we actually even have a commercial grocery store in this [5:16] zip code, so like a chain grocery store. [5:18] JANE FERGUSONI- Reducing sugary drinks, reducing candy, from an outsider's perspective, seems [5:25] like a good idea. [5:27] JANE FERGUSONI- Mm-hmm. [5:28] JANE FERGUSONI- It's actually the ideal. [5:29] JANE FERGUSONI- I would love for all of my patients to be walking into the store that's [5:34] across the street that's available to them with their parents and saying, hey, what can [5:38] I buy with my benefits today? [5:41] JANE FERGUSONI- And that's going to be fresh fruits and fresh vegetables, but that's not [5:44] what we have. [5:45] That's not what they have access to. [5:47] By reducing the unhealthy foods, it just reduces the amount of food that they can purchase. [5:51] JANE FERGUSONI- What they do have access to? [5:54] Convenience stores. [5:55] JANE FERGUSONI- A lot of small businesses like ours aren't going to have grocery aisles [6:00] like lettuce and produce and all of that stuff. [6:03] JANE FERGUSONI- Andy Torres says the restrictions have hit his customers and are unclear. [6:08] JANE FERGUSONI- I think it would be better if they had like an exact list, because there's [6:11] kind of like a gray area of what you can and can't sell that's not really specified. [6:16] JANE FERGUSONI- It will also affect his bottom line. [6:19] An analysis by the National Grocers Association shows the cost to convenience stores to cover [6:24] changes and ensure compliance with the new restrictions could total $1 billion. [6:29] JANE FERGUSONI- Can I get to see the progress? [6:31] JANE FERGUSONI- Nutritionist Stacey Ellis is optimistic about the health outcomes that [6:36] may result. [6:37] JANE FERGUSONI- I do feel that the message that the government gives plays a huge role [6:42] in what its citizens will consume. [6:46] I really think that we will see some improvements. [6:50] JANE FERGUSONI- But Brittney Quick says the new restrictions won't make her drink less [6:54] soda. [6:55] And for many busy working parents, convenience is driving their choices. [6:59] JANE FERGUSONI- The ability to walk by the freezer, grab something and go out and hand [7:04] it to my child in the car and say, eat this on the way. Because I was so busy I forgot to make time to [7:10] make a meal. That's the war that goes on in any parent's head. [7:12] JANE FERGUSONI- For parents with few options to put food on the table, Quick says the [7:17] snap restrictions are just one extra burden to carry. [7:21] JANE FERGUSONI- For the PBS NewsHour, I'm Stephanie Sy in Garland, Texas. [7:26] JANE FERGUSONI- Support journalism you trust. [7:40] JANE FERGUSONI- Support PBS News. [7:42] JANE FERGUSONI- Donate now, or even better, start a monthly contribution today.