Historic American High: 45.8 Million Citizens On Food Stamps

Agriculture Secretary says Food Stamp use declining, but newest government report shows an increase; working families depending on federal aid...
The number of Americans using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also called Food Stamps, has increased each month since President Obama entered office. Food Stamp use hit an all-time high in August, the latest month for which data is available, the US Department of Agriculture reported on Tuesday. 45.8 million Americans received Food Stamps, an increase of 1.1% from July. It's more than an 8.1% increase since August 2010. There were 31.9 million Americans on Food Stamps when President Obama was sworn into office in January of 2009. The Food Stamps program became a permanent federal component in 1964. (Above: President Obama with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack)

Spending on Food Stamps also hit an all-time high in August: The government spent $6.13 billion on benefits. Texas was the #1 state for Food Stamp use in August, with 4.1 million beneficiaries, and California was #2, with 3.82 million citizens.

On Oct. 24, as he unveiled his priorities for the Farm Bill, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack noted the level of Food Stamp users at 44 million Americans, and said use is declining.

"That number's coming down from an all-time high earlier this year as more Americans are finding work with the creation of nearly 2 million private-sector jobs over the last 19 months," Vilsack said.

The last time the number of Food Stamps users was at 44 million was in December of 2010, according to USDA.

Working families use Food Stamps...
The use of Food Stamps has set a record each month but one since December of 2008, and Vilsack in his remarks pointed out that the high unemployment rate, stuck now at about 9.1% for months, has contributed to the record levels.

"Over the last 20 years that program has transitioned from a welfare program to one that is primarily utilized by working families and seniors. Children of those working families are nearly half of all of the SNAP beneficiaries, and the elderly make up nearly 8 percent," Vilsack said.

In June of 2011, USDA began offering guidance on NON-citizen eligibility for Food Stamps. First Lady Obama's Let's Move! campaign has encouraged citizens to apply for Food Stamps. Faith-based and community organizations have been charged with signing citizens on to the program, under the rubric of the Let's Move Faith and Communities component of the anti-obesity campaign. The Food Stamps program allows users to purchase a wide variety of foods, including soda and sugary beverages, chips, cookies, ice cream, and cake.

In August of 2011, Vilsack hailed the SNAP program as an economic stimulus, a theory echoed by other top Administration officials.

"Every dollar of SNAP benefits generates $1.84 in the economy in terms of economic activity," Vilsack said. "If people are able to buy a little more in the grocery store, someone has to stock it, package it, shelve it, process it, ship it. All of those are jobs. It's the most direct stimulus you can get in the economy during these tough times."

*AP photo

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Food Stamps Rap Video Going Viral On YouTube: "My EBT" By @MrEBT

"Everyday I get my swipe on...Sandwiches, chips, Snickers, Twix; I'm eating good, potato chips; A big box of Oreos..."
UPDATE, Sept. 24: YouTube removed the video after it received more than 300,000 views
"My EBT" is a newish video by Rap artist Stanley Lafleur, 24, who calls himself @MrEBT (H Man). It's going viral on YouTube, thanks in part to a headline appearing on Drudge Report on Monday. Mr EBT is one of the 45 million-plus Americans who use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps) benefits monthly. In the video, he wanders through supermarket aisles and a couple of restaurants while he describes, in rhyme, what he buys with his Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card. It's mostly junk food--fully allowable under federal guidelines, something Mr EBT notes, in rhyme. And his benefits card is actually his sister's, Mr. EBT notes, also in rhyme, so he's committing fraud "to get my swipe on." @MrEBT has more than 16,500 followers on Twitter, he's on Facebook, and the video has been viewed more than 84,900 times on YouTube. Update, 8:00 PM: The video now has more than 185,600 views. (Top: A screengrab from the video; inset is Mr EBT's Twitter avatar)

"Sandwiches, chips, Snickers, Twix...I'm eating good...Potato chips...A big box of Oreos...Cereal, Kix...My EBT, My EBT...Walking down the Ave, there's food I got a hunger for...I just want some Jam...Walking down the aisle, cuz I just want some ham...Wham!," Mr EBT raps. "It's the EBT, it's not Food Stamps...Breakfast time the cheese is melted...if I don't have my card I use someone else's..."

Mr EBT's PIN number is included in the lyrics, as is the information that weed can't be purchased with Food Stamps, nor can Lysol, among other things. It's an instructional video.

"I wish I could buy some weed with my EBT but the drug dealer fronted me," Mr EBT raps:



"YouTube Hit Video: Song Celebrates Welfare Card!" was Drudge's headline.

Mr EBT visits a McDonald's onscreen, as well a bodega to "get his swipe on." According to a USDA spokesman, California, Arizona, and Michigan operate State administered restaurant programs serving the elderly, homeless, and disabled populations, which allow the use of EBT cards/funds. Rhode Island began a limited pilot restaurant program on August 1, 2011. In 2009, Florida began operating a pilot program in one county and has a total of 14 restaurants participating. Various major food service corporations--most notably Yum! brands, parent to KFC and Pizza Hut--are currently lobbying USDA and on the state level for an expansion of the practice of allowing Food Stamps use in restaurants.

The Food Stamps program costs taxpayers more than $6 billion monthly, and suffered no funding cuts under President Obama's new deficit reduction plan. The program boosts the economy, according to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

"Every dollar of SNAP benefits generates $1.84 in the economy in terms of economic activity," Vilsack said in August. "If people are able to buy a little more in the grocery store, someone has to stock it, package it, shelve it, process it, ship it. All of those are jobs. It's the most direct stimulus you can get in the economy during these tough times."

USDA decided in August that it would not approve a pilot program in New York to remove sugary beverages from the Food Stamps program. USDA's summary of Food Stamp statistics: READ HERE. (Above: A screengrab of Mr EBT using his card at McDonald's)

Another video from the EBT oeuvre has been on YouTube for a while: "It's Free Swipe Yo EBT" by Chapter. The lyrics are explicit, and also include an informative list of what restaurants in Los Angeles, CA accept EBT cards.

read more "Food Stamps Rap Video Going Viral On YouTube: "My EBT" By @MrEBT"

Hunger By The Numbers: USDA Releases 2010 Household Food Security Report

1 in 6 Americans struggled to put food on the table in 2010; USDA credits nutrition assistance programs for dropping number of households with"very low food insecurity..."
The number of Americans battling to afford to feed their families remained at a record high level in 2010, though the Obama Administration says it provided a critical safety net for millions, thanks to the US Department of Agriculture's fifteen food and nutrition assistance programs.

One in six citizens had difficulty purchasing enough healthy food to maintain an active lifestyle in 2010, according to the newest edition of USDA's annual report from the Economic Research Service, Household Food Security in the United States. That's 17.2 million households, or 48.8 million people.

"This report underscores what we know, that household food security remains a challenge," Kevin Concannon, Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Under Secretary told reporters during a morning conference call.

The unveiling of the 2010 Report, issued each year since 1995, is timed to coincide with today's full Senate Appropriations Committee markup of the fiscal year 2012 budget for USDA.  In fiscal year 2010, USDA spent $94.8 billion for food and nutrition assistance programs, a 19.7% increase from FY2009's $79.2 billion. Against the backdrop of a raging budget deficit battle, with lawmakers intent on slashing programs, USDA must defend itself.

The Department's nutrition assistance expenditures are crucial, Concannon said, because the 2010 food security numbers are "essentially unchanged" from the report issued in 2009, which showed a record number of Americans struggling to feed their families.

But Concannon noted one difference: The new Report finds that "very low food security" declined from 5.7% of households in 2009 to 5.4% in 2010, and cited this as a "statistically significant" drop. 6.4 million people had "very low food security" in 2010, compared with 6.8 million in 2009. Concannon credited USDA's nutrition assistance programs for the reduction, because 59% of all food-insecure households participated in one or more of the three largest USDA nutrition assistance programs in 2010. About 48% of these were children, Concannon said, and it's a reduction of about 386,000 households.

"What is really important to learn is that these numbers did not increase in this past year despite persistent poverty and unemployment right across the country,” Concannon said. "To me it is an indication of the impact of the fifteen nutrition programs."

Close to a quarter of those reporting "very low food security"--meaning that a household had run out of food, skipped meals or otherwise cut back on eating on one or more occasions--said it had been a standard fact of life for three or more months in 2010. The numbers are self reported during phone interviews that ask participants a series of questions, and do not include hunger statistics for the homeless.

USDA's expanding assistance foodscape...
All of USDA food assistance programs expanded to varying degrees in FY 2010. The three largest programs are the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps), which in fiscal year 2010 grew each month, going from 37.6 million people to more than 42.9 million; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), which had an average monthly enrollment of 9.2 million; and the National School Lunch Program, which served a monthly average of 31.6 million children each school day. These, combined with the Child and Adult Care Food Program and the School Breakfast Program accounted for 96% of USDA’s $94.8 billion expenditure in FY2010.

In July, the US House of Representatives had two days of debate over slashing USDA's FY2012 budget, and funds were cut in the measure that ultimately passed by a narrow margin, 217-203 in the final vote.

"The message we have tried to convey clearly to Congress is that we are operating as good stewards of taxpayers dollars," Concannon said. "These programs which have been historically supported on a bipartisan basis are operating as they should."

Concannon noted that the nutrition assistance programs are crucial for America's future, because they help citizens through difficult economic times, and make it possible for children to focus in school. He praised the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act 2010, signed into law by President Obama in 2010, and noted that it is making nutritious foods available to millions of children.

"These are very important targeted investments that the American people are making not only in our targeted population, but in reducing our health care expenditures," Concannon said. He hailed the WIC program as the ultimate form of "early intervention."

Economic stimulus...
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in August cited the Food Stamp programs as an economic stimulus, noting that "every dollar of SNAP benefits generates $1.84 in the economy in terms of economic activity." Concannon pointed out the economic benefits of USDA's nutrition assistance programs, too, and said these are a boon for those who make a profit in the US foodscape.

"It certainly helps supermarkets, it certainly helps people in the food chain who are transporting and growing," Concannon said. "There are studies that point to that."

Restaurant corporations are now competing for a bigger piece of the USDA nutrition assistance pie, according to a story in USAToday on Wednesday. Four states allow Food Stamps to be used in restaurants, and Yum! brands, among other corporations, is aggressively lobbying USDA to expand the practice. Yum! owns KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Long John Silver's.

Downloads: Household Food Security in the United States 2010 [PDF]. There's also a Summary of the Report [PDf].

The Report by the numbers...
The lead author of the report, USDA economist Alisha Coleman-Jensen, said the questions had been endorsed by the Committee on National Statistics, a panel of the nation’s top statisticians.

“Overall the measure is valid and reliable,” Coleman-Jensen said. “And it has been used for several years.”

The Report compiles statistics on food security among American households gleaned from a survey conducted in December of 2010, with food security defined as "consistent, dependable access to enough food for active, healthy living." There are three categories of food insecurity "Food insecure," "low food security," and "very low food security."

The Report finds that food insecurity rates were substantially higher than the national average for households with incomes near or below the current federal poverty line ($22,350 for a family of four), households with children headed by single women or single men, and black and Hispanic households. Food insecurity was more common in large cities and rural areas than in suburban areas and other outlying areas around large cities.

The categories in the Report are "food secure," "food insecure," "low food security," and "very low food security." 85.5% of U.S. households were "food secure" throughout 2010. That's 101.5 million people, a number USDA is calling "essentially unchanged" from 2009, when 85.3% of households were food secure.

The Big Number: "Food Insecure"
The Report finds that 14.5% of households were "food insecure" at some time during 2010, compared to 14.7% in 2009. This is defined as "at times during the year, these households were uncertain of having, or unable to acquire, enough food to meet the needs of all their members because they had insufficient money or other resources for food." The number includes households "with low food security" and "very low food security," part of the statistical practice of running the categories together.

As noted above, in 2010, 48.8 million people lived in food-insecure households. This breaks down to 11.3 million adults in households with very low food security, and 16.2 million children living in food-insecure households in which children, along with adults, were food insecure.

In 2010, children were "food insecure" at times during the year in 9.8% of households with children (3.9 million households), down from 10.6% in 2009. These households were unable at times during the year to provide adequate, nutritious meals for their children. Read Food Insecurity in Households with Children: Prevalence, Severity, and Characteristics.

Low food security
9.1% of households, or 10.9 million citizens were found to have "low food security"--also "essentially unchanged" from the 2009 numbers of 9.0% in 2009. This is defined as "households obtained enough food to avoid substantially disrupting their eating patterns or reducing food intake by using a variety of coping strategies, such as eating less varied diets, participating in Federal food assistance programs, or getting emergency food from community food pantries."

Very low food security
As noted above, USDA is citing the numbers for "very low food security" as having dropped between 2009 and 2010, and calls the .3 percentage point difference "a statistically significant decline." 5.4% or 6.4 million people had "very low food security" at some time during 2010, compared to 5.7% percent in 2009. "The defining characteristic of very low food security is that, at times during the year, the food intake of household members is reduced and their normal eating patterns are disrupted because the household lacks money and other resources for food. Very low food security can be characterized in terms of the conditions that households in this category typically report in the annual food security survey," notes USDA.

The report also contains statistics on how much US households spent for food in 2010, as well as the extent to which food-insecure households participated in federal and community food assistance programs, such as Food Stamps and the WIC program. Enrollment in the Food Stamps program increased during each month of 2010.

A post about USDA's 2009 report is here. It showed that about 17.4 million households in America had difficulty providing enough nutritious food due to a lack of resources. The numbers were almost identical to the report released for 2008.

(Above: A state level map, showing average prevalence of food insecurity across the US, 2008-2010)

read more "Hunger By The Numbers: USDA Releases 2010 Household Food Security Report"

June: Food Stamp Use Declines For First Time During Obama Administration

$6,039,935,392 federal expenditure for June...
If Food Food Stamps are an economic stimulus, as Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said last month, the US economy got less of a boost in June from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. According to preliminary USDA estimates released today, in June the number of people receiving Food Stamps went down for the first time during President Obama's term, a reduction of 0.5% from May's all-time historic high of citizen use.

45,183,931 people received Food Stamps in June, down 226,752 from May's 45,410,683. That equals about 41,510 fewer households; June's household use number is 21,394,405. But the numbers are also 9.5% higher than June of 2010.

The total monthly federal expenditure for June was $6,039,935,392, down from $6,121,532,495 in May, a difference of $81,597,103.

Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program had been growing steadily since before President Obama entered office; the program had previously set records for increased enrollment every month since December of 2008. In January of 2009, when President Obama entered office, 31,983,716 Americans or 14,499,693 households used Food Stamps, at a federal cost of $3,633,188,682.00, according to USDA.

"Every dollar of SNAP benefits generates $1.84 in the economy in terms of economic activity," Vilsack said in an interview in August. "If people are able to buy a little more in the grocery store, someone has to stock it, package it, shelve it, process it, ship it. All of those are jobs. It's the most direct stimulus you can get in the economy during these tough times."

He credited the record rates of enrollment in the SNAP program to better coordination between USDA and state agencies.

Read USDA's summary of the numbers.

Related: In August, USDA decided that it does not want to examine the nutrition and health benefits of removing sugary beverages from the Food Stamps program.

read more "June: Food Stamp Use Declines For First Time During Obama Administration"

More Than 15% Of Texans Use Food Stamps

GOP presidential hopeful Rick Perry blasts President Obama for Food Stamp numbers, ignores Texas statistics...

Food Stamps have become a political hot potato for President Obama, thanks to the fact that a record number of Americans--more than 45.7 million, according to the latest figures available--are enrolled in the federal nutrition program. In May, GOP stalwart Newt Gingrich dubbed Mr. Obama "the Food Stamp President," and on Saturday, Texas Governor Rick Perry also waved the Food Stamp flag. At a presidential campaign event at the Polk County GOP summer picnic at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, Perry told a crowd of about 400 that President Obama has "driven the economy into a ditch," resulting in one in eight Iowans being forced to use Food Stamps, and Iowa losing 12,100 jobs since President Obama’s Stimulus package was approved in February of 2009.  (Above: Perry at the event)

“That is a testament to the widespread misery created by this administration, that the state known for feeding the world has so many residents now dependent on their government just to pay for food, " Perry said, according to the Des Moines Register.

But while Perry credited the "misery" to Mr. Obama, the Register--as well as many other commercial media outlets reporting the story, including Fox News, Washington Post, and the massively syndicated AP--failed to point out that Perry, since 2000, has been in charge of a state that has plenty of its own "misery." Texas is historically one of the top three states in the US for Food Stamp usage. As of February of 2011, 3,482,601 Texans used Food Stamps, which is 15.4% of the state's population, or about one in seven Texans. That number was more than an 11% increase from the previous year.

Iowa had 12% of its population enrolled in the federal program in the same time period, with an increase of 8.5% from the year before.

Lest there be quibbles about scale--tiny Iowa vs. giant Texas--the Longhorn State is beating America's most populous state, California, for Food Stamp usage. Texas has over 25 million residents, while California has over 37 million residents. But California has 3,185,154 citizens who use Food Stamps (13.6% of the population), which is 297,447 fewer beneficiaries than in Texas.

Perry also told the crowd that it was "shocking" that their state's former two-term Governor, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, recently referred to Food Stamps as an economic stimulus.

“Food stamps are not the solution. They’re a symptom of the problem that 2 million people are without work," Perry said, as the crowd booed.

"Every dollar of SNAP benefits generates $1.84 in the economy in terms of economic activity," Vilsack said during an MSNBC interview from Iowa on Aug. 16th. "If people are able to buy a little more in the grocery store, someone has to stock it, package it, shelve it, process it, ship it. All of those are jobs. It's the most direct stimulus you can get in the economy during these tough times."

Perry said he's more qualified than President Obama to hold office, pointing to his job creation record as Governor of Texas to prove his point. But perhaps in Texas, creating jobs has little to do with keeping citizens off Food Stamps.

*AP photo

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USDA Rejects New York's Proposed Sugary Drink Ban For Food Stamp Recipients

If obesity is a crisis that threatens national security, why does the federal government expect taxpayers to subsidize junk food and soda?

The Obama Administration, through First Lady Obama's Let's Move! initiative, is running a national, multi-agency campaign against obesity, calling it an "epidemic" and a "crisis." But there are limits to what federal officials consider viable options for battling the disease-causing bulge. After ten months of deliberation, the US Department of Agriculture on Friday rejected the request of New York's Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg for a waiver that would allow the city to prohibit the purchase of sugar-sweetened beverages by those who receive federal Food Stamps, otherwise known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.



In October of 2010, Bloomberg and then-Governor David Paterson requested that USDA give permission for a two-year pilot program in which sugary drinks, including sodas, sweetened juices, sports drinks and teas, be removed from the list of allowed Food Stamp purchases, arguing that these contribute to a high rate of obesity and diabetes in low-income populations. The project in de-junking the Food Stamp program was designed to see if New York could move the needle on diet-related disease. No can do, said the USDA.



The White House says that one in three children in America is overweight or obese. Only one US state, Colorado, currently has an adult obesity rate under 20%. Numerous studies on the causal link between obesity and sugary drinks, especially soda, have found that regular consumption increases the likelihood of obesity. "Today, kids think nothing of drinking 20 ounces of sugar-sweetened beverages at a time," notes the Let's Move! blog, when explaining how Americans have hit what the Administration identifies as epidemic rates of obesity.



But a letter denying New York's proposal, written by Jessica Shahin, an associate administrator in the Agriculture Department, said USDA has serious concerns about the potential viability and impact of banning Food Stamp users from purchasing sugary beverages.



“After carefully and extensively considering your original proposal…we have decided to deny the waiver request," Shahin's letter said. She noted practical concerns about the ban, saying that the proposal was “too large and too complex." She added that it would be difficult to determine which beverage products would be eligible under the proposed ban, as would identifying the impact on a reduction in obesity rates. Forcing compliance from retailers that sell sugary beverages was also cited as a difficulty. Shahin said the federal government is willing to work with New York on other efforts to encourage consumers to make “healthy choices.”



In a statement about the denial of New York's waiver, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said that instead of a sugary beverage ban, USDA would prefer "incentive-based solutions that are better suited for the working families, elderly and other low-income individuals” who rely on Food Stamps.



New York City has more than 1.8 million of America's 45.7 million Food Stamp beneficiaries. USDA had long been expected to reject the request, which was being viewed by nutrition advocates as a test case for bans in other municipalities. The New York proposal caused an outcry from hunger action groups and Food Stamp users. Beverage companies lobbied vigorously against it, of course, as did those who grow sugar crops. Food and beverage corporations want the profits from the billions of dollars taxpayers spend on Food Stamps monthly. In May, that was $6.1 billion.



Sugary beverages are not the only low-nutrition foods that Food Stamp users can purchase with benefits. Candy, cookies, snack crackers, potato chips, "bakery cakes" and ice cream are also on the list of allowed foods. Beneficiaries in some states can also use their Food Stamps to purchase meals at fast food restaurants--McDonald's, Pizza Hut, KFC.



Still, while allowing 45.7 million Americans to use their Food Stamp benefits to purchase the kind of foods that can lead to obesity, the Obama Administration uses catastrophic language to describe the "crisis."



"This generation of children may be the first to die younger than their parents," Mrs. Obama has said.



"It's not just a health issue for children, it's a national security issue," Mrs. Obama has also said of America's obesity rate, pointing out that a large percentage of military recruits can't qualify for service due to obesity.



Both statements are a standard part of the Let's Move! rhetoric, being repeated by many Administration officials, including Vilsack, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Defense Department officials, and Sam Kass, the White House's Senior Policy Advisor For Healthy Food Initiatives.



"About a third of our increase in health care cost is directly attributable to obesity and illnesses like diabetes that are entirely preventable and curable," President Obama told a crowd at a town hall in Alpha, Illinois, on Wednesday, as he discussed the Let's Move! campaign. The Administration has pegged this number at $149 billion annually.



Taxpayers fund the national security threat: Every Food Stamp dollar spent on junk food won't be spent on fruit and vegetables...

But while spending $6.1 billion monthly on Food Stamps benefits sounds like a huge sum, it affords individuals an average monthly payment of just $133.80. USDA hasn't ever issued a report on what foods Food Stamp recipients actually purchase with their benefits, so it's unknown how much of the relatively small personal sum each Food Stamp user spends on sugary beverages or junk food.



What is known: Every Food Stamp dollar that's spent on a can of soda, cookies, or a bag of chips is a dollar that isn't spent on an apple, on broccoli, on spinach, on healthy protein. The Administration recently spent millions of dollars to develop and launch the MyPlate campaign, a multi-tiered initiative to raise Americans' awareness about the importance of eating according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Citizens are being encouraged to fill half their plates with fruit and vegetables at every meal, at a time when the prices of these items remains stubbornly high.



So allowing Food Stamp users to purchase foods that have no or low nutritional benefit is a curious decision for a program that was designed to boost access to healthy foods when it was authorized as a permanent program in 1964. Despite the Let's Move! goal of ending childhood obesity within a generation, the government is willing to have taxpayers subsidize high-calorie drinks and junk foods. This does nothing to achieve the goal of ending obesity, but could undermine it. The federal government is having Americans pay for their own national security threat. And for their ballooning health care costs.



Vilsack made headlines earlier this week when he said in an interview that Food Stamps are a job-creating economic stimulus.



"Every dollar of SNAP benefits generates $1.84 in the economy in terms of economic activity," Vilsack said. "If people are able to buy a little more in the grocery store, someone has to stock it, package it, shelve it, process it, ship it. All of those are jobs. It's the most direct stimulus you can get in the economy during these tough times."



The Administration seems to be more interested in the economic stimulus angle of Food Stamps than in using the benefits to help Americans eat nutritious foods. The junk foods allowed in the Food Stamp program are in direct contrast to the healthier foods that are required in the federal National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, as well as in the WIC program, for mothers and children. The Obama Administration passed historic legislation in 2010 to retool the nutrition requirements in the school feeding programs, which will eventually make school cafeteria offerings far healthier. By denying New York's request, USDA dropped the ball on an experiment that could have led to more historic, healthy change.



White House won't lead soda ban, either...

The White House is committed to the idea that sugary beverages can be part of a healthy diet, if the diet is based on moderation and balance. Speaking at the 6th Biennial Childhood Obesity Conference in June, the nation's largest such gathering, Senior Policy Advisor Kass told his audience not to expect a White House-led ban on soda as part of Mrs. Obama's anti-obesity crusade.



“This issue [obesity] is not caused by one drink,” Kass said. “It’s about a much broader food landscape.”



Bloomberg's response...

In a statement, Bloomberg said he was disappointed by USDA's denial.



“We think our innovative pilot would have done more to protect people from the crippling effects of preventable illnesses like diabetes and obesity than anything being proposed anywhere else in this country--and at little or no cost to taxpayers,” Bloomberg said.



“We’re disappointed that the Federal Government didn’t agree and sorry that families and children may suffer from their unwillingness to explore our proposal,” Bloomberg said.



“We are confident that we can solve the problem of obesity and promote good nutrition and health for all Americans and stand ready to work with New York City to achieve these goals," Vilsack said.

_____________

UPDATE: Vilsack called Bloomberg to personally deliver the news that New York's proposal was getting the ax, mayoral spokesman Stu Loeser told New York Post.



*A note on the soda can images: PepsiCo retooled its logo while Mr. Obama was running for president in 2008. Observers couldn't help but notice the *similarity* to the Obama campaign logo, created by graphic designer Sol Sender of Chicago firm "Mode," and came up with the co-soda can image.



PepsiCo is also among the many major food corporations that have vowed support for the Let's Move! campaign, participating in a pledge to "dump" trillions of calories from the US food chain.

read more "USDA Rejects New York's Proposed Sugary Drink Ban For Food Stamp Recipients"