Last May, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins approved a request from Indiana Gov. Mike Braun to limit the purchasing power of SNAP benefits in the state by banning the use of EBT cards on some sugary drinks and candy. Braun pointed to data that shows soda is the item that is most purchased with SNAP benefits.
More recently, Indiana State Rep. Julie McGuire introduced House Bill 1137, legislation that would make it so that schools that participate in federally funded or assisted meal programs could no longer sell foods or beverages containing certain ingredients. These ingredients include potassium bromate used in cookies, breads and tortillas; red dye 40, commonly found in chips, energy drinks and popsicles; as well as butylated hydroxytoluene, which is used to prevent oils from oxidizing and can be found in breakfast cereals.
There is a shift toward removing ultra-processed foods from constituents' diets in states across the country, including California, West Virginia and Texas. And a new food pyramid introduced by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a message scrawled across the top: "Eat Real Food."
On Cincinnati Edition, we discuss how the rollouts of these new regulations are working and speak with a doctor about how certain foods might be addictive.
Guests:
- Claire Wilcox, MD, addiction psychiatrist and author of “Food Addiction, Obesity, and Disorders of Overeating: An Evidence-Based Assessment and Clinical Guide”
- Casey Smith, reporter, Indiana Capital Chronicle
- Nicholas Florko, staff writer, The Atlantic
Beginning at noon, call 513-419-7100 or email talk@wvxu.org to have your voice heard on this topic. You can catch a recorded replay at 8 p.m.
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