To the editor:
As an anti-hunger advocate and someone who has personally experienced food insecurity, I am appalled at legislation introduced by state Rep. Carter Nordman.
House Study Bill 216 would impose sweeping restrictions on what foods Iowans could purchase with their SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps.
We know from research, including by Iowa Gov. Reynolds’ own Department of Health and Human Services, that SNAP participants want to be able to eat healthier, but they struggle to afford fresh fruits and vegetables.
The average Iowan on SNAP gets just $5.72 a day to spend on groceries.
Research has also found that SNAP participants purchase about the same amount of soda and candy as their neighbors who do not participate in the program.
This bill is not about improving health outcomes for people on SNAP. It’s about punishing poor people, increasing program stigma and pushing the false notion that low-income Iowans cannot be trusted to make the best food choices for their family.
Stigma is one reason people choose not to participate in SNAP. Maybe that’s why program enrollment is at a 16-year low, while food banks and pantries across the state continue to break records. More and more of our neighbors are struggling to put food on the table.
Tell Nordman to stop playing the food police and focus on legislation that lifts people up instead of punching down.
Luke Elzinga
Des Moines
Elzinga chairs the board of the Iowa Hunger Coalition.
