Arkansas lawmakers advance junk food ban for food stamps

     (AP) – Arkansas would ban food stamps from being used to buy
soda or junk food under a plan that's heading to the state House for a vote.
     The House Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee on Tuesday endorsed the
proposal by Republican Rep. Mary Bentley of Perryville to prohibit using
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to purchase foods and
beverages with "insufficient" nutritional value.
     The restriction would need approval by the federal government, which has
rejected similar bans from other Republican-led states.
     Bentley said she's hopeful the Trump administration would support such a
restriction and that it would ensure food stamps are being used for healthy
products. Opponents say the ban would hurt recipients who don't have access to
affordable nutritional products.