NE First In Nation To Bar SNAP Purchases Of Soda/Energy Drinks

Nebraska is the first state to receive a federal waiver to ban the purchase of soda and energy drinks under the food benefit program for low-income Americans long known as food stamps. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins approved the first federal waiver on Monday. Nebraska's ban on purchasing the drinks under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, starts Jan. 1. The move will affect about 152,000 low-income people in Nebraska. Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Indiana, Iowa and West Virginia also have submitted requests for waivers banning certain foods and drinks or expanding access to hot foods.