A local pediatrician said a move by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to ban the purchase of certain sugary foods and drinks using SNAP benefits is a good idea.
Local Pediatrician Nita Shumaker said what is commonly known as “Junk Food” is not only bad because of sugar, but also other chemicals that are often contained in the food. Shumaker said these foods and drinks typically lead to obesity and other chronic diseases.
“I am delighted with these bans because they are going to mean that the people who use these benefits are less likely to have chronic disease because they can’t buy things that are unhealthy for them,” Shumaker said.
The Department of Agriculture approved a ban for 18 states, including Tennessee. Shumaker said she hopes the new bans will educate Tennesseans that a majority of the food available is not healthy.
“There actually are already some products that you can’t buy with SNAP benefits, like alcohol and cigarettes, and so this is a move by multiple states that have already done this, but it’s a move by, hopefully, the federal government to say that we need to stop paying for people to become ill.”
Shumaker said obesity leads to chronic inflammation, heart disease, hypertension, and other effects that usually happen when you have excessively gained weight. Shumaker said she hopes the ban will reduce the rates of chronic diseases.
“As we start educating people about what they should and should not be buying, then I think hopefully that is going to have a cascade effect,” Shumaker said. “And then I truly believe that HHS (Department of Health and Human Services) will continue to push that new food pyramid, which is natural, whole foods, down through the school system, down through the WIC programs, and kind of become more pervasive so that the general knowledge of the entire population is you know, this stuff is not just good for you, it’s actually driving disease and it is very unhealthy.”
The ban is set to take effect in Tennessee on July 31, 2026.