Trump’s SNAP soda ban is already changing what Americans buy, study finds

• Under Donald Trump's Make America Healthy Again agenda, 23 states received federal waivers to ban SNAP recipients from buying sugary foods like soda and candy.
• A study by Stanford, MIT, and the University of Chicago found that sugary drink bans led to a 12.4 percent drop in soda purchases among SNAP recipients across the first 10 states to implement them.
• Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. praised the waivers, arguing they stop taxpayer dollars from funding products that fuel diabetes and chronic disease.
• Researchers estimated a nationwide SNAP ban on sugary drinks could yield 1.1 billion dollars in annual economic benefits, mostly through lower healthcare costs.
• The working paper warned that restricting allowable food items increases perceived stigma among SNAP recipients, making them feel disrespected or deprived of freedom.

IN FULL

Soda sales fizzle out after changes to food stamps prevent recipients from buying pop