LUBBOCK, Texas — Texas’ Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is tightening up what kind of food users can buy.
Starting April 1, SNAP recipients can no longer use their benefit cards to buy candy and sweetened drinks.
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According to the new guidelines, “sweetened drinks” are beverages with more than five grams of added sugar, and the restrictions also apply to gum and fruit and nuts that have been candied or coated with chocolate, yogurt or caramel.
“This is an effort to bring into alignment that all food banks want to be giving out more nutritious food,” said Dina Jeffries, CEO of South Plains Food Bank, “to help supplement what they’re not getting, either from a food pantry, a food bank, or simply their own paycheck.”
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SNAP is a federal program that helps more than 3 million Texans, according to the state’s Health and Human Services commission. Over 18% of people in Lubbock County experience food insecurity, according to Feeding America…