Louisiana begins restricting food stamp purchases

(The Center Square) − Louisiana residents enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program can no longer use their benefits to buy soft drinks, energy drinks or candy starting Wednesday, as the state launches a two-year pilot it says is aimed at nudging families toward healthier groceries.

The Louisiana Department of Health announced the policy as was approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture last year. The federal approval letter says the state requested permission to change the program’s definition of eligible “food” to exclude those items, with the federal government evaluating how the restrictions affect participants and retailers.

A retailer notice from the federal government says Louisiana stores are required to block purchases for the restricted products and warns that retailers who do not comply risk losing authorization to accept food stamp benefits.

The notice defines “soft drinks” as carbonated non-alcoholic beverages containing high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners, with excep...