Banning food stamps from being used for sugary drinks won't make US healthier

Mayors from cities including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago are reviving a push against letting food stamps be used for soda and other sugary drinks. They say in a letter sent to congressional leaders Tuesday it's time to evaluate approaches limiting the use of the subsidies for sugar-laden beverages in the interest of fighting obesity.

The American Beverage Association represents the non-alcoholic, refreshment beverage industry. It says obesity is "a complex health condition that affects Americans of all income levels," not just those on food stamps.

Last year more than 47 million Americans used food stamps. The benefits can't go to buy alcohol, cigarettes, hot food and some other items.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

The mayors of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and 15 other cities are reviving a push against letting food stamps be used to buy soda and other sugary drinks.

In a letter to congressional leaders Tuesday, the mayors say it's "time to test and evaluate approaches limiting" the use of the subsidies for sugar-laden beverages, in the interest of fighting obesity and related diseases.

"We need to find ways to strengthen the program and promote good nutrition while limiting the use of these resources for items with no nutritional value, like sugary drinks, that are actually harming the health of participants," Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose office released the letter, said in a statement. "Why should we continue supporting unhealthy purchases in the false name of nutrition assistance?"

The other cities whose mayors signed the letter are Baltimore; Boston; Louisville, Ky.; Madison, Wis.; Minneapolis; Newark, N.J.; Oakland, Calif.; Philadelphia; Phoenix; Portland, Ore.; Providence, R.I.; Salt Lake City; San Francisco; St. Louis; and Seattle.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which runs the food stamp program, declined to comment on Tuesday's letter; representatives for House Speaker John Boehner and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, to whom the letter was addressed, didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

And the American Beverage Association, which has previously clashed with Bloomberg and has said sugary drinks shouldn't be singled out as a cause of obesity, had no immediate comment.

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