Vol. 5 [Texas News] Texas SNAP Ban on Sodas and Candy: Health Experts Raise Concerns Over Low-Income Diabetics and Hypoglycemics

The policy

• As of April 1, Texas Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (henceforth SNAP, also known as food stamps) recipients can no longer use benefits to purchase sweetened beverages or candy.
• The restriction stems from Senate Bill 379, authored by Sen. Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston), aimed at reducing consumption of foods legislators consider unhealthy.
• SNAP currently serves approximately 3.1 million low-income Texans, including around 1.5 million children.

The medical concern

• People with hypoglycemia or insulin-dependent diabetes sometimes experience dangerous drops in blood glucose that require immediate sugar intake to avoid losing consciousness or falling into a diabetic coma.
• Sodas and candy have long served as accessible, fast-acting options for managing these emergencies — now no longer purchasable with SNAP.
• Several affected Texans shared concerns publicly, describing situations where a spouse, child, or themselves could not afford alternatives when blood sugar dropped.

What experts say about alternatives

• Chris Carmona, Texas Diabetes Council Chair, supports the restriction as a reasonable public health measure given rising obesity and type 2 diabetes rates, noting that effective ways to raise blood sugar — such as fruit juice, honey, or glucose tablets — exist that don't involve sodas or candy.
• Sarah Williams-Blangero, South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute Chair, recommends those alternatives as substitutes.

Where UT researchers push back

• Julie Zuniga, nursing professor and researcher at UT Austin (henceforth UT), points out that many SNAP recipients live in food deserts with limited access to fresh fruit, juice, or other alternatives — making the theoretical substitutes less practically available than they appear.
• Zuniga argues that restricting purchases alone is unlikely to shift behavior: purchasing patterns among SNAP recipients don't differ significantly from those of higher-income shoppers, suggesting the issue is structural rather than a matter of individual choice. She advocates instead for addressing food deserts directly and expanding collaborative, evidence-based nutrition education rather than imposing restrictions.
• Nancy Guillet, another UT nursing professor who runs diabetes management classes at an Austin charity clinic, highlights how little patients often know about managing their condition — and how poverty itself creates conditions where health literacy and nutritional prioritization are nearly impossible to sustain: "People in poverty have everything against them to succeed."

The equity problem

• Because poverty is a known risk factor for obesity and type 2 diabetes, a disproportionate share of people managing these conditions are on SNAP.
• Wealthier individuals with the same medical needs can purchase sodas or candy freely — the restriction applies only to those relying on public assistance, creating an unequal burden.
• Celia Cole, CEO of Feeding Texas, raises the question of whether the policy will actually reduce overall consumption of these items — or only shift where people buy them — and calls for nutrition education and behavioral support to be part of any solution.
• Texas Health and Human Services Commission officials confirmed they are surveying recipients to track whether the restrictions change shopping and eating habits, but acknowledged they do not collect clients' health data.

(Source: The Texas Tribune)