Self-Reported Use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Benefits to Purchase Soda in a Public Health Center Population: Los Angeles County,California, 2012

To better inform local program planning for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health used self-reported data from a public health center population to examine the prevalence of benefits used to purchase soda. We performed statistical analyses, including multivariable regression modeling, using data from a local health and nutrition examination survey. The survey response rate was 69% (n=1,503). More than one-third of survey participants reported receiving, or living in a household where someone receives, nutrition assistance benefits. When asked, 33% (n=170) reported using these benefits to purchase soda “sometimes” and 18% (n=91) reported “often” or “always,” suggesting that the use of program benefits to purchase soda was not uncommon in this subpopulation. These findings have meaningful policy and planning implications, as they contribute to ongoing dialogue about strategies for optimizing nutrition among SNAP recipients.In 2013, more than 46.5 million Americans participated in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).¹ The federally funded SNAP is administered through an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) system, which allows participants to purchase food as authorized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); cigarettes, alcohol, and hot food items meant to be consumed in the store are excluded.^2,3 Unlike other federally funded programs (e.g., Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants, and Children and the National School Lunch Program), there are currently no nutritional requirements for foods purchased with benefits from SNAP.^3–5The stated goals of SNAP are to safeguard the health and well-being of the U.S. population and to raise levels of nutrition in low-income households.⁶ Citing a need to better achieve these goals, several states across the country have unsuccessfully sought permission from the USDA to implement nutrition standards that would limit the purchase of foods with minimal nutritional value (e.g., soda and potato chips) using SNAP benefits.⁷ While most conversations to date have focused on the potential health benefits, the ethical concerns surrounding restricting choice, and the barriers to implementing such food restrictions, a paucity of data on benefits use is available to inform the debate and policy development.^4,8–11 We contribute to closing this gap in knowledge by examining the prevalence, frequency, and characteristics of adults who use SNAP benefits to purchase soda.