AI-generated summary, not yet reviewed by Better Utah staff. Please consult the bill text.

Utah law already directs the Department of Workforce Services (DWS) to seek federal permission to bar the use of SNAP benefits — commonly known as food stamps — for buying soft drinks. This bill adds a parallel process for "ultra-processed food": once the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issues its own federal definition of that term, DWS would have 180 days to write a matching definition into state rule, submit that definition to the Legislature's Rules Review and General Oversight Committee, and then formally ask the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a waiver allowing Utah to block SNAP purchases of ultra-processed foods. Any such waiver request would need to include justification based on public health, program intent, and cost savings, along with a plan for retailers to enforce the restriction, an outreach plan for SNAP recipients, and a system to track effects on spending and health. If the federal government approved the waiver, DWS would have to implement the new restriction within six months; if denied, DWS would have to keep resubmitting the request annually until it is approved.