Carbonated drinks high in sugar or similar sweeteners would be barred from purchase under the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a group proposed last week.

Created by Gov. Mike DeWine, the work group was asked to provide recommendations for a federal waiver request to ban certain beverages from SNAP benefits. The group targeted drinks rich in sugar or similar caloric sweeteners.

Specifically, the group recommended that Ohio seek a U.S. Department of Agriculture waiver to prevent the use of SNAP benefits to purchase beverages that list sugar, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup or other sweeteners as the primary ingredient or as the second ingredient if the first ingredient is carbonated water. Such beverages have been shown to have minimal nutritional value and to contr

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