MADISON, Wis. (WRN) — Wisconsin Foodshare recipients will eventually be prohibited from buying soda and candy with those benefits.
It’s unclear how soon those new restrictions will be in place for the more than 365,000 Wisconsin households that receive Foodshare. In addition to that “junk food” prohibition, legislation that Democratic Governor Tony Evers recently signed into law increases state funding for food assistance through the federally funded SNAP program.
The bill which passed the Legislature with bipartisan support provides $72 million for administrative and staff costs in the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
An agency spokesperson said the first implementation step is that DHS must develop a waiver subject to approval by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. DHS is also working to fill the newly funded positions as quickly as possible.