Shoppers using federal food benefits may soon have a new option at the grocery store: rotisserie chicken.
U.S. lawmakers are considering an amendment to the farm bill that would add hot rotisserie chicken to the list of eligible food items under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
The measure comfortably passed in the House earlier this spring, and it is now part of the proposed farm bill that is on its way to the Senate. A group of bipartisan senators have also introduced a similar bill in their chamber.
Currently, SNAP shoppers can’t purchase foods that are hot at the point of sale, like soup or pizza. They can only buy rotisserie chicken with their benefits once it’s cold.
Dan Shaul, CEO and president of the Midwest Retail and Grocery Alliance, said many stores would be happy to sell hot rotisserie chickens under SNAP to meet consumers’ needs. But, he said the industry doesn't want to expand federal benefits to other hot foods.
“We don't want to see SNAP used in fast food and restaurants like that,” Shaul said. “We want to make sure that the consumer gets the most for their SNAP dollar and for our tax dollars.”
In Minnesota, Robin Manthie, director of Neighborhood Services at Second Harvest Heartland, said the move would provide more options for SNAP participants.
“What we hear from families is they want to feed their kids something healthy and nutritious. And for me, rotisserie chicken meets both of those,” Manthie said.
Manthie said she’s not concerned about this rule reaching to other hot and prepared foods in the grocery store. She said SNAP participants are budget-conscious shoppers, and it’s important to note this measure doesn't change how much money people get.
“This is a change to what people can access, and they're still going to have to make smart decisions with the roughly $6 a day that a person in Minnesota who's on SNAP on average gets,” Manthie said. “That's a very low amount to feed yourself on, and so people are making smart decisions to stretch something like rotisserie chicken into multiple meals.”
What would this mean for retailers?
If the measure becomes law, Shaul said it will be the easiest rule updates stores will make this year, because it creates a national standard.
While there have been multiple changes and cuts to the program, retailers are already making changes to comply with new SNAP junk food restrictions. So far, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved SNAP restriction waivers in 23 states – including Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
For companies with stores in different states, there is an advantage with the rule being implemented nationally, said Gary Huddleston, a grocery industry consultant for the Texas Retailers Association.
“I would say that consistency across all retailers with a federally-sponsored program is certainly better economically for the grocer,” Huddleston said. “So everybody knows the same rules and the customer knows all the same rules.”
Nationally, USDA numbers show there are more than 42 million shoppers using SNAP and about 3.4 million of them live in Texas. Huddleston said rotisserie chickens are economical, nutritious and can easily feed a family, so the group is supportive of adding the prepared birds to SNAP.
Yet he doesn’t expect it will offer a big benefit to the stores that offer rotisserie chicken.
Grocers and retailers are facing higher input costs because of the impacts of climate change, geopolitical conflict and trade policy. Food prices increased 3.1% over the last year, according to the latest Consumer Prices Index.
“If the customer has X number of dollars in their SNAP account, they're going to use that throughout the store on eligible items,” Huddleston said. ”And if rotisserie chicken is one of those items, it's still the same amount total benefit on their card.”
This story was produced in partnership with Harvest Public Media, a collaboration of public media newsrooms in the Midwest and Great Plains. It reports on food systems, agriculture and rural issues.
