The SNAP program is experiencing a significant change in Texas. The use of the SNAP card could be restricted with the proposal of the Senate Bill 379 coming from Mayes Middleton and passed by the Texas Senate. What could happen?
Well, this will mean no more sugary drinks and ultra processed food. The reason behind this is the concern about obesity in low income families in the United States. Other states like Nebraska and Indiana are willing to start with similar measures while they are waiting for the project to be passed by the Texas House of Representatives.
It’s important to know what your government is doing with your taxes, and even more so if you are part of the low income families who benefit from the SNAP. So, let’s get started!
What’s SNAP?
SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. As its name implies, it is an aid for citizens of the United States, so that they can buy food. How does it work? Well, the benefit amount is not given as other aids, by receiving the money on beneficiaries’ bank accounts. The SNAP in Texas works through an electronic card called Loan Star Card, which will receive the amount every month to buy food at authorised supermarkets and stores.
Who can specifically receive this benefit?
To be one of the beneficiaries, you must meet some requirements like: being unemployed, having a low income, being over 60, be disabled, single mother or father, or earning a low salary.
If you see yourself represented in any category previously mentioned, you can get more information and also apply for the SNAP benefit at the U.S. official website: https://www.ny.gov/services/apply-snap
What you can buy with your Loan Star Card
Beneficiaries in possession of the SNAP card can get access to a huge range of food for every person’s balanced diet, for example healthy food like fruit, vegetables, bread, rice, pasta, meat, eggs, milk and canned food.
However, you can also buy ultra processed food like sugary drinks, candy, cookies, chips and snacks. These unhealthy choices have been a controversial topic in Texas.
Senate Bill 379
In 2025, the State Senator Mayes Middleton proposed the Senate Bill 379 which prohibits the use of the SNAP benefits for buying unhealthy food. Basically, all the ultra processed food we said before is going to be banned from the Loan Star Card.
Why this drastic decision? Because the aim of this law is to fight diseases related to poor diet and as a consequence improve public health. Some of the diseases that affect the most among American citizens are obesity and diabetes. Speaking in numbers, more than 3 million people have diabetes in the U.S.
Opponents take on this ban
As with every proposed law, there are some opponents who see negative consequences of this ban and that’s why they want to stop this decision. They think this law will limit beneficiaries freedom of choosing what they want to eat, without any evidence on the number of people using the SNAP card to buy unhealthy food.
There is still a long way to implement this law in Texas, but this is seen as a good first step to avoid health issues due to poor diets. It is true that this could be controversial when beneficiaries experience a limit on their food decisions and they see the ones who don’t have total freedom to buy as many ultra processed food as they want to.
Despite the controversy, this law seems like a model other states could and want to copy, which shows the huge concern in the country for food and health among their citizens. Do you think this is a good decision?
