1. United States
2. Ore.
3. Letter

The proposed ban on purchasing certain items like sodas and chips with SNAP benefits is misguided. Many low-income families live in food deserts with limited access to healthy options. Restricting their ability to afford any available food, even if not perfectly nutritious, would be detrimental and could lead to increased hunger and malnutrition. While promoting healthier diets is laudable, this measure fails to address the systemic lack of grocery stores in underserved areas. Instead of punitive policies, efforts should focus on improving food accessibility and affordability for SNAP recipients through initiatives like incentivizing retailers to open in food deserts and providing nutrition education. Denying the ability to purchase some of the only items available would be counterproductive and harmful to vulnerable populations relying on these benefits to get enough calories.