Latest from Food Politics: Nutritionally hilarious: Louisiana's definition of "soft drinks" for its SNAP waiver

I am indebted to Melissa Fuster at Tulane University (congratulations on achieving tenure! ) and Megan Knapp of Xavier University of Louisiana for telling me about this one. The USDA has just approved a waiver for the State of Louisiana to exclude soft ...

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By Marion Nestle August 27 2025 Nutritionally hilarious: Louisiana’s definition of “soft drinks” for its SNAP waiver I am indebted to Melissa Fuster at Tulane University (congratulations on achieving tenure!) and Megan Knapp of Xavier University of Louisiana for telling me about this one. The USDA has just approved a waiver for the State of Louisiana to exclude soft drinks, energy drinks, and candy from allowable purchases with SNAP benefits. Check the definition of  excluded soft drinks [my emphasis]: “Soft drinks” are defined as any carbonated nonalcoholic beverage containing high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners. By this definition, soft drinks made with cane or beet sugar are fully allowed to be purchased using SNAP benefits. What is the difference between high fructose corn syrup and cane or beet sugar?  Not much.  All are mixtures of glucose and fructose and have the same number of calories. So why the distinction? Guess which state is the #2 producer of cane sugar. As I said, nutritionally hilarious (see my clip in John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight on this point). The post Nutritionally hilarious: Louisiana’s definition of “soft drinks” for its SNAP waiver appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle      Related Posts USDA is allowing states to ban sodas from SNAP: is this a good idea? Yes, if evaluated. President Trump says sucrose is better than HFCS (both are glucose plus fructose) Industry-funded study of the week: OLIPOP (prebiotic soda)   Coming Soon: What to Eat Now My new book What to Eat Now is a field guide to food shopping in America, and a treatise on how to eat well and deliciously. Forthcoming November 11, 2025 For more information and pre-orders, click here. You can explore the full archive of this (almost) daily blog at foodpolitics.com, where you'll also find information about my books, articles, media interviews, upcoming lectures, favorite resources, and FAQs. Visit the Site » ​​​​​​​ Marion Nestle Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University, Emerita © Marion Nestle. You're receiving this email because you've signed up to receive updates from us. If you'd prefer not to receive updates, you can unsubscribe. Safely Unsubscribe • Archives • Preferences • Contact • Subscribe • Privacy

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