Oh, oh! I finally get to chip in with my experiences, since I lived with folks on the food stamp programs and still have neighbors reliant upon it for basic sustenance.
On the topic of “treats”, like soda or candy bars, the general takeaway I have after my experiences is that these should be allowed in moderation (say, a fixed price cap per period for non-nutritious treats like candy and soda), but that the actual implementation doesn’t allow for that sort of granularity in most states (and those that can, often aren’t allowed to due to the rules governing the food stamps programs). Everyone should be able to treat themselves, after all, regardless of income.
The problem that arises with a lack of granularity is dependence and abuse: sugar is highly addictive, which sodas are almost entirely comprised of (after water), and alcohol/tobacco are also addictive and habit-forming. So forced within the constraints of the program and its funding, the decision was made to just flatly ban the use of food stamp money for those goods. It’s the same rationale that prohibits the use of food stamps for prepared foods, like a deli sandwich (don’t want folks eating out at restaurants, even though for disabled folks on food stamps, they may be unable to prepare healthy food themselves).
Which is all a roundabout way of saying: welcome to what happens when your country doesn’t meaningfully continue regulating and modernizing its assistance programs to fit with changing market conditions. The soda companies see the potential cash on the table with food stamps for themselves, and obviously want to take taxpayer money to inflate their revenues somewhat. A reasonable government would push back given the glut of studies about sugary drinks and foods and their health consequences, maybe capitulating or compromising in the form of a “spending cap” on those goods from a food stamps budget (say, 5%). Combined with an incoming administration that’s both nakedly hostile to the poor and wholly pro-business, and this will almost certainly go through.
As always, the answer is moderation. If you’re dependent upon the government for necessities to survive, then the government should have a say in what that money can be spent on. Food Stamps absolutely has room for modernization and improvement, but it’s far more granular when you get into the issues at hand.