A move by the Trump administration to cut a well-established nutrition education program is leaving public health experts and nutrition advocates scratching their heads — especially given the administration’s own push to improve Americans’ eating habits.
The program in question, known as SNAP-Ed, has long been used to help people learn about healthy eating and connect with food resources, including farmers markets. Its elimination stands in sharp contrast to the White House’s embrace of the Make America Healthy Again agenda.
One example of the program’s reach: a Philadelphia-based nonprofit called The Food Trust has relied on SNAP-Ed funding to support its farmers market operations, including a market where a medical assistant was recently seen browsing for fresh produce.
Those who work in nutrition and public health say they cannot reconcile the administration’s stated commitment to healthy eating with its decision to pull the plug on a program specifically designed to promote it. Advocates describe the cut as deeply puzzling given the current political messaging around health and wellness coming from Washington.
