ABA celebrates win toward ensuring SNAP choice

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ABA celebrates win toward ensuring SNAP choice

5 Aug 2024

Joanie Spencer

Since 2008, Joanie Spencer has covered the retail and wholesale sides of the baking industry.
Serving associations such as the American Society of Baking (ASB) and BEMA, Joanie is also in demand as an industry presenter on bakery operations and trends. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from Rockhurst University and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.

When she’s not running or playing soccer, Joanie spends her time with her husband and 11-year-old son.

WASHINGTON, DC — After two well-attended Bakers Fly-In events co-hosted by the American Bakers Association (ABA), American Society of Baking (ASB) and Retail Bakers of America (RBA), ABA recently shared news of a win on ensuring consumer choice under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), one of the top issues addressed during both events.

Considered a cornerstone of the nation’s nutrition safety net, SNAP benefits allow low-income families supplemental grocery funds to ensure access to essential foods, including baked goods.

However, HR 9027, the House Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025, proposed language to create pilot SNAP programs that would restrict choices to only whole grain products as opposed to those containing either whole grains or enriched grains. The intention of the proposed legislative language is to limit options to only those deemed to be “healthy.”

“It is imperative to retain SNAP choice for recipients, rather than impose government restrictions on what they can feed their families,” said Rasma Zvaners, VP of government relations for ABA. “In the past few years, there’s been a push from some Members of Congress that people need to be making this ‘good food / bad food’ choice, and that’s a position ABA has always opposed because you never know the situation of those who need to use these assistance programs.”

Dignity is a high priority for SNAP, and consumers who apply for these benefits are expected under law to be treated equally to non-SNAP consumers. With the current rules, users can choose where to shop and what to purchase, including the appropriate foods according to their dietary and cultural needs.

During both fly-ins, attendees shared this point with congressional members and staff from both parties. The message to policymakers involved not only the dangers of imposing restrictions on recipients’ ability to make their own food choices but also the financial implications of the bill as it was written. ABA cited information from a 2016 USDA study, stating initial costs would reflect a $400 million investment and ongoing costs of $600 million per year.

While the proposed language may be intended to focus on items like sweetened beverages, as it was written it also would restrict access to products made with enriched grains, impacting participants’ ability to purchase items like hamburger and hot dog buns, Zvaners added.

“Our sector provides more than just indulgent treats,” she said. “The baking sector also provides products that are a cornerstone of most everyone’s kitchen. We provide an enormous amount of shelf-stable, nutritious products that are also economical. For people on the program, they should have the ability to purchase any of those products.”

“This was one of those moments when we can take a step back and see the good results and be proud of the work we’ve done.” — Rasma Zvaners | VP of government relations | American Bakers Association

In July, ABA announced to its members that House leadership pulled HR 9027 and the proposed SNAP changes from consideration by the full House of Representatives. With Congress currently in recess, the bill will not be available for vote until September.

The successful block on the language was not only a result of ABA’s efforts at the fly-in but also from participating in a broader coalition that includes more than two dozen food-related trade associations and groups advocating for hunger relief.

“We’ve all been working in a coordinated manner to try and stop these SNAP choice bills that are being introduced,” Zvaners said, noting that other bills could potentially restrict SNAP purchases for products such as soft drinks, pies, cookies and other indulgences. “I think this will be an ongoing issue.”

The SNAP Choice Coalition recently submitted a letter to USDA advocating for food security and access to nutrition by maintaining autonomy and choice through SNAP benefits.

While the efforts remain ongoing, ABA is happy to celebrate the small wins toward ensuring consumer choice.

“This was the first small hurdle, getting past the Appropriations Committee within the House,” Zvaners said. “The funding bill will still need to make it to the House floor for a vote, which they will pick back up when they reconvene in September. That said, this was one of those moments when we can take a step back and see the good results and be proud of the work we’ve done.”

Partnering with ASB and RBA for both fly-in events, ABA also addressed other issues such as labor department regulations, tax codes and the US sugar program in addition to SNAP choice. A total of 64 companies representing all three organizations participated in November and June — 60 and 29, respectively — to create a united voice for the entire baking industry, regardless of product type or bakery size.

“When you see these little steps in the right direction,” Zvaners said, “it does reaffirm that bringing the industry together, having a united voice and continuing to beat the drum on these issues can achieve positive results.”

For more information on bakery fly-ins and ABA’s ongoing advocacy efforts, visit the ABA website.

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