Mississippi will likely join a growing number of states receiving waivers to modify what recipients of food assistance programs can purchase at the grocery store.

After floating the prospect of seeking permission from the federal government to allow Mississippi to prohibit junk food and sugary beverage purchases with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, Gov. Tate Reeves has officially requested a waiver to do so. In his request, however, the governor sought permission for SNAP users to buy hot rotisserie chickens with their benefits.

Assuming the governor’s request is approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, processed foods that list sugar, cane sugar, corn syrup, or high fructose corn syrup as the first two ingredients will be prohibited for purchase using SNAP ben

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