Public Health in Oregon - Join The Conversation

This is a really interesting question - they pose little nutritional value and are a big part of the obeisity problem, but how much can we restrict people’s freedom of choice?

The claim from the American Journal of Public Health, that four billion dollars is spent as subsidy to the soft drink industry with taxpayer money, is remarkable. To put this in perspective, according to the National Center for Education Statistics there are approximately 16,000 high schools in America. That means that the amount of taxpayer money spent on soda is enough to provide every high school in America with 250,000 dollars. With that much money going to anything, there should absolutely be inquiry over the value. The question becomes then: Should the United States government spend $4 billion in taxpayer money on the purchase of soda?

To answer this sufficiently the benefits should be weighed. The biggest argument for allowing food stamps to be used on soda is that by restricting soda it will start a slew of other food stamp restrictions. Along with that many think that simply removing the high-calorie, low nutrient drinks from a diet would not be a significant enough change to affect one’s overall health. In reality though, soda is terribly detrimental to health. A 2007 meta-analysis done by Vartanian, Schwartz & Brownell at Yale University found a positive relationship between soda consumption and obesity rates. It also found that such high caloric intake from a source so sparse in nutrients displaces nutrient rich sources and is linked to diseases such as diabetes. With one specific item being empirically linked to obesity and disease, removing it would certainly be beneficial, and would not lead to other items being restricted unless similar evidence was found.

Restricting the use of food stamps would not mean that it would be illegal for a person on food stamps to purchase a soda; it would simply mean that their food stamps could not go towards something so harmful to their health. This would encourage the purchase of healthier liquids and deter from high levels of empty calories. Education could even be provided as to why soda is so unhealthy and suggest healthy alternatives. As healthier choices were made and an individual’s overall health increased, they would be empowered to make healthier decisions in other aspects of their lives.