NGA Cheers Elimination of ‘Disruptive’ Ag Appropriations Bill Provision

The National Grocers Association (NGA) has thanked members of Congress for eliminating a provision in the FY2024 agriculture appropriations bill that “could have caused widespread disruptions and undercut [the] effectiveness” of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

According to the trade organization representing the independent sector of the food distribution industry, a proposed pilot program removed from the bill would have severely limited the types of foods covered by SNAP, as well as requiring grocers to examine hundreds of thousands of food items to determine which qualify and which don’t.

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“Fortunately, members of Congress realized a proposal that looked simple on paper would have created confusion for program participants and resulted in a costly bureaucratic nightmare for small businesses around this country,” noted Stephanie Johnson, a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) and VP of government relations at Washington, D.C.-based NGA. “The strength of SNAP is within its efficient and flexible design. We are proud to support the continuation of an effective and impactful program for families and local economies.”

NGA also backs the $7.03 billion in funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) to continue to provide what it calls “critical lifelines for millions of families.”

Last month, the association sent a letter to congressional leaders in the U.S. House of Representative and the Senate expressing its opposition to two provisions within the FY2024 House Agriculture Appropriations bill to limit SNAP purchases: the creation of the pilot program to catalog and restrict SNAP purchases, which has now been dropped, and the collection of SNAP purchasing data, with the aim of eventually restricting SNAP purchases. Almost 2,500 NGA members from across the country, located in every single congressional district, signed the letter.

NGA members include retail and wholesale grocers , as well as state grocers’ associations, manufacturers and service suppliers.