A ban on using food stamps to buy candy, soda and other “unhealthful” items takes effect this week in Arkansas, and the state has rolled out a new app to help shoppers adjust.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders touted the changes Monday at an Edwards Food Giant in North Little Rock, framing the restrictions as a necessary step to curb rising rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease, the Arkansas Advocate reported.
The new AR SNAP Companion app, developed under a $1.2 million contract with Chicago-based Sifter Solutions, allows shoppers to scan barcodes to see whether an item is SNAP-eligible and get suggestions for alternatives, said Mary Franklin, director of the Department of Human Services’ Division of County Operations…