NYC Food Stamp Users : Soda Ban – Michael Bloomberg has made a number of changes to the New York City food stamp program after both city and state health organizations asked to no longer allow food stamps for the purchase of soda and other sweetened drinks. A recent study found that a good portion of food stamp money goes to unhealthy items, most prominently soda, and the health commissioners urged Bloomberg to remove soda from the food stamp purchasable list.
The ban will only affect drinks that contain more sugar than substance and have a low nutritional value. They most also contain more than 10 calories per eight ounce serving. These bans do not apply to milk, milk substitutes, or fruit juices without added sugar.
Food stamps already have a number of limitations on them. They cannot be used to buy alcohol, cigarettes, foods that have been imported, soap, toothpaste, and other products that are not considered to be necessary for day to day living.
With more than half of the residents in New York City overweight and obese, the city is taking the necessary steps to ensure that they curb the trend and start progressing in the opposite direction. Of course, the banning will see a fair amount of backlash from individuals who would like to use their foot stamps on sweetened drinks, but the positive effects of the ban seem to be fairly straightforward. It will be interesting to see if more cities and states follow suit.