The Midwest Food Processors Association (MWFPA), in conjunction with a coalition of nine other food industry groups, have registered their opposition to a bill that would restrict what recipients of the federal food stamp program, now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), can buy with that assistance.
In memorandum submitted to the Wisconsin State Assembly’s State Affairs Committee regarding Assembly Bill 110, MWFPA and associated groups outlined their opposition to efforts to restrict choice for any consumers — including those who receive SNAP assistance. The groups said the legislation sets a “precedent of allowing the government to create a black list of foods and beverages that ‘do not have sufficient nutritional value.’”
"AB 110 would also create a substantial cost of compliance for retailers as they attempt to keep pace with what is and isn’t allowed. The complex rules and regulations this proposal will create run 180 degrees counter to the current efforts by the governor and the Legislature to reduce the regulatory burden on small businesses.”
According to Nick George, president of MWFPA, “Because it is a federal program, the U.S. Congress has considered placing limits on the types of food that could be purchased with program benefits several times in the past. However, it was concluded that designating foods as non-nutritious would be administratively costly and burdensome.”
In separate testimony submitted to the Committee, MWFPA noted that “Though well intentioned, AB 110 will be costly to administer, opens nutrition programs to the subjective whims of bureaucrats, may hurt agricultural jobs in the Midwest and duplicates federal rules.”
In addition to MWFPA, other groups signing the memorandum opposing the bill are the Grocery Manufacturers Association, the Snack Food Association, US Venture, the Wisconsin Association of Distributors, the Wisconsin Beverage Association, the Wisconsin Grocers Association, the Wisconsin Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Association, the Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers and the Wisconsin Retail Merchants Association.
Source: The Midwest Food Processors Association (MWFPA)