INDIANAPOLIS — In a bid to improve health outcomes for Hoosiers, Governor Mike Braun signed a series of executive orders on Tuesday aimed at Making Indiana Healthy Again.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a government program that aims to help Hoosiers with their grocery budget. Four of Tuesday's nine executive orders could affect the nearly 600,000 Hoosiers who use the program.
One order is designed to tighten eligibility criteria, ensuring that resources are directed to those most in need. Another significant proposal would remove the option to purchase certain unhealthy foods, such as soda and candy, with SNAP benefits—a move aimed at sparking nutritional improvements in the state.
Pastor Theron Williams of Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in Indianapolis commented on the implications of the changes, expressing concern for the changes of the benefits.
"(Braun's) definition of who qualifies and who doesn't qualify, that may present problems. But if it's geared towards healthy foods and you can't get sugar and candy and all of that, that's an excellent thing."
The challenge of accessing healthy food is particularly pronounced in areas designated as food deserts, where residents often lack convenient access to grocery stores.
Mt. Carmel Baptist Church has worked to sponsor a Mobile Grocery store that provides neighbors with healthy food options.
Kimberly Hale, clerk of The Mobile Community Grocery Store that operates around the East Side, noted, "(Neighbors) love that we're coming to them, especially those ones that don't have transportation.
Health experts are expressing concern about the overall nutritional balance in the diets of many Hoosiers. Dr. Teri Borho, a clinical dietitian at IU Health, highlighted the importance of variety in nutrition.
“A lack of variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, that balanced diet overall is a big factor that we see quite a bit. I’ve seen a lot of adults that are like, I've never been a vegetable person," Dr. Borho said.
While significant change will take time, Pastor Williams further emphasized the critical role that food plays in public health and safety.
"To be malnourished is to eat bad food. To be undernourished is not to have food at all. So what we're doing is challenging both malnutrition and under-nutrition in a hope to change behaviors and attitudes and actions as a result of having access to a healthy diet," he said.
Pastor Willliams concluded with "Food is the bottom line. It's the baseline for a healthy individual or a healthy country, healthy society."
