FOOD-TASTIC NEWS
NEW
FEDERAL BILL WOULD
ALLOW FOR HOT
MEALS FOR SNAP RECIPIENTS
A
rotisserie chicken purchased pre-made from the grocery store can be an absolute
lifesaver. It's already crispy and seasoned, ready to add to your favorite
chicken-based dish or enjoy on its own, saving you time and effort in the
kitchen. However, it's a grocery item that has become out of reach for many
because it's not covered by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
(SNAP), formerly known as food stamps. Now, a bipartisan bill aims to change
that.
In April,
a group of U.S. senators, including both Republicans and Democrats, introduced
the Hot Rotisserie Chicken Act, which, if passed, would update SNAP rules to
make hot rotisserie chicken eligible for purchase using the government
assistance program.
“America’s
best (and delicious) affordability play is Costco’s $4.99 rotisserie chicken,”
Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who co-sponsored the bill with
Republican Sen. Jim Justice of West Virginia, among others, said in a
statement. “It’s one of my family’s favorites, and I’m proud to join this bill
with Sen. Justice for all to try. SNAP funds would be well spent to feed our
nation’s families who need it.”
Can the
Government Tell SNAP Users What to Eat?
As the
Associated Press reported, the hot chicken product was previously excluded from
SNAP benefits, along with other prepared foods, to promote home cooking. But,
as these lawmakers argue, it's both an outdated policy and one that penalizes
families who may already be time-strapped and in need of affordable dinner
options.
It's
important to note that the change would apply only to hot rotisserie chicken,
not to all hot prepared foods. As a 2020 USDA policy memorandum explained,
"Heated foods, hot foods, and cold prepared foods are not considered
staple foods," thus, ineligible for SNAP. Cold chicken has been, and will
remain, eligible for purchase with SNAP benefits, as well.
There’s
also a second bill on the table, the Hot Foods Act of 2025, introduced by Grace
Meng, a Democratic representative from New York. Rather than merely permitting
SNAP users to buy rotisserie chickens, Meng's bill would "allow recipients
to use their benefits to buy hot foods like prepared rotisserie chickens, hot
sandwiches, soups, and more."
“Millions
of American families rely on SNAP daily to put food on the table. It simply
doesn’t make sense to restrict them from using their benefits to buy hot meals
while allowing them to buy the exact same type of meal cold or frozen,” Meng
said in a 2025 statement about the bill. “The Hot Foods Act removes this dated
rule preventing people from purchasing hot foods with SNAP, giving flexibility
to working parents, people with disabilities, and the many hard-working
Americans who need to put food on the table every day. I am proud to work
across the aisle to make this commonsense change.” However, the bill has been
sitting with the Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture since the
spring of last year.
“The Hot
Rotisserie Chicken Act is a commonsense solution to an unnecessary problem.
Right now, a SNAP family can buy a cold rotisserie chicken, but the moment it’s
hot, it’s off limits. There is no nutritional difference. There is no logical
difference. There is only an outdated technicality that forces grocery stores
to heat chickens and cool them back down just to comply, wasting energy,
degrading quality, and adding cost," Harrison Kircher, the president of
the National Chicken Council, added in the statement. "Rotisserie chicken
— a real food — is the most affordable complete protein in the grocery store.
At around $7, it can feed an entire family. For the 42 million Americans on
SNAP, that matters enormously."
As
Kircher noted, around 42 million Americans rely on SNAP benefits to ensure they
have access to food at home. However, the bill comes as SNAP benefits are under
fire. As Food & Wine previously reported, SNAP benefits stalled during the
government shutdown in late 2025, forcing recipients to rely on community food
banks or go without.
These
Popular Grocery Items Will Soon Be Off Limits to SNAP Recipients in These
States
In
February, Food & Wine also reported on the coming SNAP changes under
President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, which cut $287
billion in funding for the SNAP program over a 10-year period. Those changes
include new work requirements, under which adults aged 18 to 64 without
dependents under age 14 will be required to work, volunteer, or participate in
a voluntary work program for at least 80 hours per month to remain eligible.
All recipients are also required to inform the state if their employment falls
below an average of 20 hours per week. Critics, such as Michigan State
Representative Kristian Grant, say “these changes place unnecessary burdens,
both physical and bureaucratic, on older adults and low-income workers.”
But
hopefully, this small change to the rotisserie chicken rule can do some good.
“Allowing
folks on SNAP to buy hot rotisserie chickens is truly just commonsense. It’s as
basic as you can get to help busy parents or grandparents put something as
simple as this on the table to feed their families," Senator Justice added
in a recent statement. "We have to give people the option to put a
healthy, protein-dense choice on the table that actually tastes good and
doesn’t take an hour and a half to cook."
Well this
is a good idea and I commend the bi partisan support. But it should never be
forgotten that the Republicans are making it harder for SNAP recipients to get
benefits. It’s like a trade off, you get the hot chicken but get cuts in other
areas. That hand that feeds them, also bites them in the ass too. (Food & Wine, LuLac)
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