SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Brooke Rollins signed Indiana’s waiver to remove candy and sugary soft drinks from the taxpayer-funded nutrition assistance program, SNAP. 

“More taxpayer-funded SNAP dollars are spent on sugary drinks and candy than on fruits and vegetables. Indiana is proud to lead the way in the Make America Healthy Again agenda by making this common sense move to return the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to its intended purpose: nutrition," said Governor Mike Braun. 

Indiana was among the first states in the country to apply for this wavier to remove candy and soft drinks from SNAP benefits. Desserts, candy, and sugary drinks exceed the combined sales of vegetable on fruits on SNAP.