Colorado paused the process of banning federal food assistance from paying for soft drinks following opposition from anti-hunger advocates and people who rely on the program.
Earlier this month, the state Board of Human Services delayed its vote on whether to implement a change preventing the , or SNAP, from paying for most sweetened beverages.
The board had planned to take up the question again Friday, with a final vote scheduled. Instead, the board will now receive a without taking action.
The Colorado Department of Human Services didn’t immediately clarify whether it would bring the plan before the board again.
The change, known as the , wouldn’t allow the federal food assistance program to pay for drinks with added sugar or artificial sweeteners, unless they also contain milk or at least 50% juice.
Chocolate milk, unsweetened seltzers and some juice drinks would remain options, but diet and full-sugar sodas would no longer be eligible. People who receive SNAP funds could still buy those drinks with their other income.
At the March meeting, four members of the nine-person board said they would have voted against the proposal, three were in favor and two hadn’t decided after at least five hours of testimony.
The supported the change as a way to improve health by reducing sugar consumption. Anti-hunger groups said it would make the program more complicated and discourage food-insecure families from signing up.
Mariah Guerrero, senior public policy manager with , called the decision not to move forward with the waiver a “victory for Colorado families.”
“The board listened to the community’s concerns and chose dignity over stigma, and access over restriction,” she said in a news release.
