Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew is seeking a waiver from federal officials to ban the use of food stamps to buy candy or sugary drinks.
Mayhew says about $13 million a year in Maine is being spent on soda by those who receive supplemental nutrition assistance, commonly known as food stamps. She says taxpayer dollars should be limited to buying nutritious foods, especially since childhood obesity rates have tripled since 1980.
“We don’t need to debate whether or not soda and candy are nutritional,” she says. “They are not.”
In addition, Mayhew points out that medical expenses associated with obesity have hit $700 million, with more than a third of that expense covered by taxpayers through Medicare and Medicaid.
Mayhew is hopeful the Trump administration will approve the waiver, which was turned down by the Obama administration.
