Missourians on the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program would no longer be able to use it to buy certain products, including candy and soda, under a proposed change.

Gov. Mike Kehoe’s office announced in late September that it submitted a waiver request to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to change Missouri’s SNAP program. The goal, according to the governor, is to focus more on healthier food — and subsequently discontinue SNAP eligibility for certain products.

“We are looking to promote and prioritize healthy foods that have higher nutritional value, focusing on whole and minimally processed foods,” Melissa Wolf with the Missouri Department of Social Services said.

Wolf said another goal through the change is to better promote local food.

“We feel like this is a gr

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