Arkansas House Bill 1035, to create the Arkansas Healthy Food Improvement Act, passed from the House Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee Tuesday. Sponsored by Representative Mary Bentley, a Republican legislator form Perryville, it was co-sponsored by State Senator Scott Flippo of Bull Shoals and Representative Nelda Speaks of Mountain Home. If passed, the act would require the use of food stamps, also known as SNAP benefits, to be used only for foods, food products and beverages with sufficient nutritional value and fight obesity. Flippo explains why he is supporting this bill.
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Guidelines for foods with nutritional value would be established by the state department of human services using the federal guidelines for WIC to determine those values. Jeff Quick, CEO of the Food Bank of North Central Arkansas and Kathy Webb, Executive Director of the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, of which the food bank is a member, say while they support the intent to fight obesity and reduce hunger in Arkansas, this does neither. Quick points out the guidelines for WIC, are not appropriate for all SNAP beneficiaries.
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Flippo’s counter is the food products he is concerned about are “junk food”.
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The Hunger Relief Alliance and member food banks encourage and promote healthy food choices and proper nutrition through their educational programs on healthy shopping and cooking as well as fresh produce distribution, according to Webb and Quick.
Webb, who testified Tuesday at the committee, says she disagrees with Bentley, who believes the bill will support Governor Asa Hutchinson’s Healthy Active Arkansas Program. Webb, who co-wrote the governor’s program and is co-chair of the Access to Healthy Food Committee. She maintains food distribution is not equal in Arkansas, particularly in areas called “food deserts”.
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Quick says many areas served by the Food Bank of North Central Arkansas are in food deserts.
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Flippo doesn’t believe a gas station can be a substitute for a grocery store, but regardless where a person shops for food, there needs to be changes in their food choices, he says.
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The poor are confronted with difficult financial choices every day, according to Webb.
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Flippo says while he doesn’t believe House Bill 1035 is the cure for obesity, he feels it is a step in the right direction. Webb feels if the legislators want to tackle obesity in Arkansas it needs to be done across all economic groups and not singling out one group as being more obese than another.
If passed by the state legislature, the Arkansas Healthy Food Improvement Act would need approval of the federal government, which in the past, has rejected similar legislation. Representative Bentley is hopeful the new administration would be supportive.
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