SNAP rules changed again
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By Jeff Snyder
MOUNT AYR, Iowa — A federal judge ruled on June 29 that states, including Iowa, were not allowed to restrict certain food purchases using the federal government sponsored Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The ruling stated that states do not have the right to redetermine the definition of “Food” under the SNAP program that had already been established by the FDA, as the most recent waiver in Iowa stated.
The original guidelines were enacted earlier this year having been signed into state law by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. The idea behind the waiver was to help guide the recipients of the SNAP program to more nutritious food choices by limiting the reimbursements for things such as sugary drinks, candy and most processed foods — items the state felt did not meet their healthy food standards. Iowa was one of 23 states to implement a similar change to the old SNAP benefits program.
The federal court ruled that the states, while having the ability to help guide Iowans on food selection, they did not retain the right to redefine the FDA definitions and subsequently the fed sponsored programs. One argument presented to the district judges bench was that certain medical conditions, such as diabetes, often require the diabetic patients to carry some form of sugar supplement with them in the event they have a blood sugar episode requiring a quick dose of sugar. While not specifically mentioned in the release of the judges decision, it is widely believed that an appeal will be filed by the state.
The ruling also indicated that retailers were now required to adjust their systems to except the old guidelines for SNAP usage as soon as possible. Changing the point of sale systems is a complex and costly endeavor for major retailers such as grocery chains as signage needs to be adjusted, employee training needs to be updated, internal systems need to be fixed and tax calculations also need to be addressed. The Record News reached out to the Hy-Vee corporate offices in Des Moines and was told that Hy-Vee would be changing the POS (Point of Sale) systems to reflect the court mandated SNAP changes. Hy-Vee is the largest grocery store chain in Iowa with 150 stores in operation of the 320 plus stores in the privately held chain. “Any change of this magnitude takes time” said Robert in the Hy-Vee customer care center. He went on to verify that “changes would be implemented as quickly as the systems are updated to reflect the courts order.”
