South Iowa News

U.S. Representatives Zach Nunn from Iowa and Grace Meng from New York have introduced a bipartisan bill aimed at allowing nutrition assistance benefits to be used for purchasing warm, ready-to-eat meals. The proposal, known as the Hot Foods Act, seeks to make changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which currently prohibits the use of benefits for such meals.

The bill intends to update the SNAP program by removing existing limitations, thereby offering more flexibility, particularly for working parents, seniors, and individuals with disabilities. Representative Nunn commented, "No family should have to choose between hunger and dignity. Iowans deserve the flexibility to use their nutrition benefits on warm, ready-to-eat meals that make life a little easier – especially for working parents."

Currently, SNAP supports more than 40 million Americans by helping them purchase food each month. However, the program does not allow benefits to be utilized for hot or prepared meals, limiting purchase options to cold or frozen versions. This restriction affects many SNAP recipients, especially those without access to cooking facilities.

Representative Meng emphasized the importance of the changes proposed in the Hot Foods Act, stating, "Millions of American families rely on SNAP daily to put food on the table. It simply doesn’t make sense to restrict them from using their benefits to buy hot meals while allowing them to buy the exact same type of meal cold or frozen. The Hot Foods Act removes this dated rule preventing people from purchasing hot foods with SNAP, giving flexibility to working parents, people with disabilities, and the many hard-working Americans who need to put food on the table every day. I am proud to work across the aisle to make this commonsense change."

The bill has garnered support from organizations such as The Food Research & Action Center, First Focus Campaign for Children, Feeding America, Hunger Free America, and the National Association of Convenience Stores.

Text of the bill can be found here.