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New Mexico Food Stamps For Nutrition, Not Junk Food

Commentary: State Senator Cliff Pirtle (R-Roswell) is sponsoring a bill to ensure people on food stamps (SNAP) use the taxpayer funded benefits to buy nutritious food for themselves and their families, and be not use the government benefits to buy junk food that offer no nutrition to their families.

Under Senator Pirtle’s bill, the SNAP food stamp program would have the same nutritional requirements as the other food stamps program that offers  special supplemental nutrition for women, infants and children. That program is  called WIC.

“The idea is that New Mexico children grow up with the most nutritious food available to grow their minds and bodies. Junk food offers no nutrition, and  it is actually counter to what we want to offer these families,” Senator Pirtle said.  

According to the analysis of the bill, Senator Pirtle’s Senate Bill 5 (SB5) requests the Secretary of HSD seek a waiver of requirements under the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to establish a restriction on SNAP food purchases to: (1) those items to which recipients of benefits under the special supplemental nutrition program for Women, Infants and Children are restricted, and (2) the purchase of meat.

The list includes  basic, nutritious items including whole grain bread, milk, cheese, eggs, fruit and vegetables. Meat could also be bought  with  benefits under Senate Bill 5. 

Junk food such as soft drinks, candy, cookies, snack crackers and ice cream could not be bought with the SNAP benefits.