Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York City, asked the federal government on Wednesday for permission to bar New York City residents from purchasing soda and other sugared drinks with food stamps.
If you're a Buffalo native, he's talking about that thing we call "pop."
Bloomberg's request is part of an anti-obesity campaign that has used advertisements and limitations on food sold in schools. Governor David Paterson also attempted to place a tax on soda but was unsuccessful.
Though it's true that soda is very unhealthy and has no nutritional value whatsoever, targeting only recipients of food stamps is unfair. Simply prohibiting soda and sugared drinks is extremely arbitrary, as well.
A better way to go about the process of fighting obesity is to spend more dollars on wellness and nutrition education.
After failing to place a state tax on the drinks, which would have limited everyone from buying them, the state seems to be indicating that if it can't keep everyone from drinking soda, it at least can keep the poor people from doing so. That would be an unfortunate stigmatization.
There is no evidence to clearly show that food stamp recipients are more prone to obesity than any other demographic. Some would classify soda as a "luxury item" and argue that such items should not be covered by food stamps. But for a group of people that cannot afford any other sort of luxury item, buying soda is a cheap way to enjoy a treat.
Obviously, some families might abuse the program and buy too much soda with stamps that could have been used for healthier items. But it is unclear where the line should be drawn, and to punish everyone who uses food stamps for the irresponsible actions of a few is unfair.
It is strange to target only soda. What about candy bars, potato chips and ramen noodles? If a shopper used all of his or her food stamps on expensive seafood (another luxury item), would that be irresponsible as well because the stamps could have been used to buy a host of cheaper goods?
Such questions show that the government should be careful to draw a simple line regarding soda purchases.
Bloomberg should be applauded for doing his part to eliminate the obesity problem, which is an epidemic in this country. To target only poor people, though, is unwise.
Additionally, food stamp recipients are expected to buy food with some of their own money in addition to the food stamps. Thus, restricting soda from being bought with food stamps probably would not keep people from buying soda, given that it is very cheap.
The government needs to provide more evidence that food stamp recipients suffer more from obesity than any other group before it attempts to change the eating habits of that exclusive group. And if it does the research and does see a need to change eating habits, it won't be as simple as simply excluding soda. A complete overhaul of the system would be necessary.
