How Much Soda is Bought With Food Stamps? [Report]

Calls for U.S. gov't to disclose how much sugary food is bought with food stamps.

A California watchdog group wants to know how much sugary soda and unhealthy food is paid for with food stamps, according to Reuters.

With the recent proposal by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to ban sales of oversized sugary beverages by restaurants, food carts and movie theaters, several groups are trying to help the federal nutrition assistance program help people to eat better, and not just have the program's main objective be to fight hunger. More than one-third of U.S. adults and nearly one-fifth of U.S. children are obese.

The program is currently used by about 1 in 7 Americans.

[ALSO READ: Myth: Black People Love Food Stamps]

"The federal government should not be fueling America's epidemic of diet-related chronic disease with taxpayer money," said Michele Simon, president of consulting group Eat Drink Politics, which produced the report.

Titled "Food Stamps: Follow the Money," it also calls for the disclosure of redemptions paid to individual retailers, such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc, as well as fees paid to JP Morgan Chase and other banks that have contracts to process the electronic benefits.

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