-Households in SNAP purchased less healthy foods compared to households that were not a part of the program with similar incomes, demonstrating the ineffectiveness of the program (French et al).

-Solution: Restrict unhealthy foods from the benefits of the Supplemental Nutrition Aid Program to promote healthier food behavior

-Low-income groups more likely to consume unhealthy foods

By the World Health Organization

• Pro: Shows the significance of this problem by showing how widely spread the consumption of ultra-processed foods are.

• Con: Not specific to America or low income households, we may need to get more data from other sources

• Pro: Shows direct proof of the cancer risks of ultra-processed foods

• Con: No real cons

• Pro: Discusses a study showing direct proof of the cancer risks of ultra-processed foods

• Con: It might be better to directly reference the study instead of using this source

What are challenges or obstacles to implementing these solutions?

Some research suggests that restrictions will have adverse impacts to low income groups and their options. (CON)

What are ways to combat or overcome those challenges?

Increased accessibility through other solutions, pairing with restrictions. Such as policy changes or national bans on certain food ingredients.

3. Consider the implications (effect/results):

What are potential outcomes if these solutions are implemented?

Healthier diets in low-income groups are one possible outcome, as demonstrated by the findings of French. (PRO) Another outcome is decreased accessibility for individuals without access to supermarkets (CON).

What are ways to address those outcomes?

A potential way to address decreased accessibility would be to leverage federal funding for ameliorating food deserts and creating more supermarkets.

4. How feasible/practical is the solution in the real world? It is feasible as this solution by itself does not require any additional funding. It would simply limit the benefits of SNAP to healthier food options. (Pro)

5. Does the solution align with your TMP RQ? If they answer is no, revise your solution OR TMP RQ. Yes because it specifically targets low income groups. However, this solution would only target households that are a part of the SNAP program, which is a potential limitation. (Con)

Con/limitation: Despite these efforts, Jayson Lusk, the vice president of the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at Oklahoma State University, and Jill McCluskey, the director of the School of Economic Sciences at Washington State University, notes a common loophole: Commercial food systems redirect their funds that were previously spent on advertisement towards cost-cutting technologies, keeping unhealthy foods at a lower cost. (Lusk and McCluskey 7). Upon policy restrictions aimed to improve public health, food commercial systems will adapt through various strategies and loopholes to maintain profits. The BMJ agrees that when the profitability of such companies is reliant on high-volume sales of processed foods, profits come first, resulting in food governance and public health policy that does not adequately balance public interests (White et al. 3). As policy efforts aimed at addressing the surplus of unhealthy diets get dismissed, lower-income groups who typically rely on unhealthier foods to stay within their budgetary means stay disproportionately disadvantaged. This displays how the commercial food system's ability to influence policy in favor of profits creates economic barriers that restrict lower-income groups’ access to healthier foods.

Source: https://www.jstor.org/stable/44786508?seq=1

Pro: “Research demonstrates that emphasizing food quality “may be effective in long-term prevention of obesity.” Taxing food at the federal level is not a new phenomenon. During World War I and the Great Depression, levies were imposed on unhealthy foods to raise revenue. While many of these taxes have since been repealed, the rising obesity trends have spurred many governments to reconsider taxation as a means to impact public health. Taxes on unhealthy foods encourage healthy eating, providing a solution to curb the obesity epidemic. An appropriate food tax should be imposed at the national level and encompass ultra-processed foods with rates that vary in proportion to the added sugar content” (Baltz 604).

Source: https://www.jstor.org/stable/27007750?googleloggedin=true#