A bill was introduced Feb. 10 to the Health and Government Operations Committee (HGO), to institute a tax on snack foods deemed unhealthy in order to help the fund that provides money for the Maryland Combating Childhood Obesity Grant Program (MCCOP).
The bill, titled House Bill 716, proposes to place a tax on specific snack foods, including potato chips, pretzels, pork rinds and cheese curls in an attempt to help children lead healthier lifestyles.
“If this bill passes, what it provides is money for programs that will help youngsters learn about making good choices in food and activity,” Maryland delegate Bonnie Cullison said.
While the bill is written with good intentions, many believe it will not make it past the HGO.
According to Delegate Kirill Reznik, he and his colleagues have concerns about the bill, such as the particular number of items that have been targeted by this bill, the implementation of the overall program and the method of collecting taxes.
According to a March 13 Glen Burnie Patch news article, Jim McCarthy, President and CEO of the Snack Food Association, argued that there is not healthy or unhealthy food, but rather good and poor eating choices.
“The problem with the bill is that it singles out particular foods and it is questionable whether that is fair to the manufacturers and retailers of those products,” Cullison said. “If there were a rule that said all foods that contain more than 50 grams of carbohydrates will be taxed, that would be more fair.”
According to freshman Zoey Maggid, if the bill passes it would not change the types of snacks she would consume, just how often.
Though it has not yet been determined when the bill will be voted on, if the bill receives a positive vote in the HGO then it will be passed to the full House.
