The USDA has denied Iowa’s request to prohibit the use of SNAP benefits for purchasing lab-grown meat and egg substitutes, according to The Gazette. The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services sought the ban, arguing that these alternatives “may not” be as nutritious as traditional meat and eggs and citing potential economic harm to Iowa’s livestock and poultry industries.
The USDA rejected the waiver, stating that Iowa failed to demonstrate how the proposed ban would enhance nutrition for SNAP recipients or measure its impacts. Additionally, the request did not meet any of the USDA’s four waiver criteria: improving program administration, increasing SNAP recipients’ self-sufficiency, testing innovative welfare strategies, or aligning SNAP rules with other programs.
Iowa’s legislature had already passed Senate File 2391 last spring, banning lab-grown protein products from school meals statewide. However, the USDA’s decision ensures these products will remain eligible for SNAP purchases.
