American Heart Association withdraws objection to banning junk food from food stamps
The American Heart Association (AHA) has reversed its opposition to a Texas bill that aims to restrict junk food from food stamp purchases.
Texas Senate Bill 379 would exclude sugary drinks and ultra-processed snacks from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This would prevent SNAP recipients from using their benefits to buy chips, candy, and soda, which remains the most purchased item with food stamps. The idea has gained strong support among Republicans and MAHA supporters like Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.
At a March 11th public hearing before the Texas Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, the American Heart Association (AHA) voiced its opposition to SB 379. AHA Government Relations Director Alec Puente registered the organization as an opponent of the legislation and said that “the Heart Association is concerned about potential impacts of this bill on participation and population health.”
“For a bill like this, we would need to be careful that it does not impact overall participation in the SNAP program and that there be adequate education to the public on healthy habits,” Puente told the committee.
State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst expressed her shock at the AHA’s stance.
"I often say that I can never be surprised in this building, but for the American Heart Association to be against this bill, that might be the surprise of the session so far," said Kolkhorst.
AHA says it has ‘corrected’ its ‘miscommunication’
Last week, AHA spokesman Steve Weiss told the Daily Wire that the association does not oppose the bill and bizarrely claimed that Puente’s opposition was a “miscommunication.”
“The Association’s position on Texas Senate Bill 379 was miscommunicated during the TX Senate Health and Human Services Committee hearing last week. The Association is not opposed to the bill, which would restrict purchases of sugary drinks and certain other unhealthy foods within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP),” Weiss said.
“The miscommunication at the hearing from our representative, who is based in Texas, was unfortunate. We have corrected the record and worked to ensure this will not happen again,” he added. “The Association remains committed to increasing the consumption of healthy food and decreasing the consumption of sugary drinks across our mission-critical work in scientific research, public policy and public awareness.”
At the hearing, AHA’s statements opposing the bill came after testimony from 19-year-old journalist Grace Price, who spoke in support of the legislation.
“SNAP kids consume 43% more sugary drinks than those not on SNAP,” said Price. “With 72% of SNAP recipients also on Medicaid, we are paying for the problem and the solution. This isn’t complicated; even my six-year old niece knows candy and soda are unhealthy. You don’t need a masters degree to know they have no place in a nutrition program.”
Price later took to X to slam the AHA for trying to thwart the bill.
“I am disgusted,” she wrote . “The American Heart Association just sent an employee to TEXAS to fight a bill that would stop food stamps from covering candy & soda—a bill to reduce heart disease. Why? Because the AHA takes money from Kellogg’s & Pepsi, whose profits would tank if it passed. Thank you, [state Rep. Kolkhorst], for standing up for Texas kids against this corrupt ‘heart health’ org.”
“These kind of troubling conflicts undermine public health,” US Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. replied.
The AHA’s ties to Big Food
The AHA has had lucrative ties to Big Food for decades, receiving millions of dollars from Kellogg’s, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, ConAgra, and others. The Heart-Check Food Certification Program, one of the AHA’s initiatives, offers companies a heart-healthy label they can slap on food products in exchange for an annual fee of up to $6,000. The Industry Nutrition Forum, an AHA program that claims to promote public health in the food industry, charges a membership fee of $15,000 per year. PepsiCo, Kroger, and General Mills are members.
