Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said Thursday the state is seeking federal permission to exclude soft drinks and candy from the list of items that can be purchased under the benefit for low-income Americans long known as food stamps.
Stitt made the announcement during an event at the Capitol with U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as part of the “Make America Healthy Again” initiative.
Oklahoma would join several other states that already have sought federal waivers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to prohibit the purchase of items such as soda and energy drinks under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
“If you want to drink a bottled soda, you should be able to have that right,” Kennedy said. “But the federal government should not be paying for it with taxpayer money.”
SNAP is a roughly $100 billion program that serves about 42 million Americans and is run by the U.S. Agriculture Department and administered through states.
Stitt also signed an executive order on Thursday calling into question the appropriateness of mandatory fluoridation of public drinking water and the use of commonly used artificial food coloring, including Red Dye 40. Under the order, the Oklahoma State Department of Health and Department of Equality are directed to immediately stop any endorsement of fluoridation of the public water supply. Although Stitt said each local municipality will still have the autonomy to make a decision to continue the practice, which has long been encouraged as a means of promoting dental health.
Under the order, the two state agencies are directed to conduct a comprehensive review of water fluoridation and make recommendations for transitioning away from the practice.
Stitt also said he would direct agencies that provide meals, including prisons and public schools, to discontinue the use of artificial dyes in food.
“Today we’re going to get the ball rolling on making Oklahoma healthy again,” Stitt said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.