The Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) opposes the recently submitted waiver by the State of Iowa seeking to restrict eligible food items for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants.
This unprecedented restriction, paired with other proposed federal cuts, would drastically limit food choices and create unnecessary hardship for Iowans who rely on SNAP to feed their families. The proposed waiver would eliminate access to foods that Iowa families depend on and would create confusion at checkout counters across the state.
DMARC strongly believes that the best way to improve Iowans’ health and well-being is by providing more options and more food, not by taking choices away. It is vital that we trust families to make decisions about what is best for them and their household when shopping at the grocery store.
The proposed restrictions would:
- Further stigmatize SNAP participants by further complicating their checkout experiences and singling them out when items they previously relied on are prohibited.
- Create widespread confusion for shoppers about which items are eligible for purchase. For example, some granola bars or juice products would be allowed while virtually identical products would be prohibited.
- Eliminate SNAP recipients’ ability to purchase seeds and plants to grow their own food, removing a crucial pathway to sustainable and affordable fresh produce.
Iowa’s waiver application suggests these restrictions would promote health and nutrition, but there is no compelling evidence that this approach would achieve those goals. In fact, removing food choices is more likely to worsen food insecurity.
The reality that many Iowan households have to face is that the healthier options at the grocery store are out of reach because of their cost. When choosing between having enough food at home to feed your household and having the best foods, unfortunately, meeting your needs must come first.
This proposal focuses on restricting choice rather than addressing the real barriers to healthy eating that many low-income Iowans face, such as food access, affordability, and time constraints. We urge state officials to invest in positive approaches to nutrition that don’t come at the expense of families in need – especially when SNAP enrollment is already at a 17-year low in our state.
Another year has passed in the Iowa Legislature and again, we have failed to capitalize on the opportunity to expand the Double Up Food Bucks program. By simply giving more SNAP dollars for healthy produce, we can help provide better options and fill grocery carts. Addressing food insecurity in our state can start with the foods that we choose to grow here in Iowa.
Food Banks and food pantries across Iowa are already stretched beyond capacity and cannot come close to filling the gap that this program is already meeting.
