A bipartisan effort to modernize federal food assistance moved forward last month as the U.S. House of Representatives voted to allow SNAP recipients to purchase hot rotisserie chickens.
The U.S. House voted 384-35 to support an amendment to the Farm Bill on April 22 that would modify the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008.
The change adds “hot rotisserie chicken” to the list of eligible items for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which currently allows the purchase of the same chickens only after they have been cooled down.
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat representing Pennsylvania, introduced the “Hot Rotisserie Chicken Act” in the U.S. Senate last month.
“Doesn’t only include my crew’s favorite + affordable $4.99 Costco rotisserie — but ANY hot rotisserie,” Fetterman posted. “Feeding families: a (rotisserie) chicken in every pot.”
The proposal is a bipartisan effort between Fetterman, Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat from Colorado, and Republican Sens. Jim Justice and Shelley Moore Capito, both Republicans from West Virginia.
The bill expands the definition of food to include hot rotisserie chicken at eligible retailers. It does not increase overall SNAP funding, change eligibility requirements, or expand the program to include restaurants or other hot prepared foods.
The ban on hot foods has been a staple of the program since the 1970s.
“Right now, a SNAP family can buy a cold rotisserie chicken — but the moment it’s hot, it’s off limits,” said Harrison Kircher, president of the National Chicken Council. “There is no nutritional 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 There is only an outdated technicality that forces grocery stores to heat chickens and cool them back down just to comply, wasting energy, degrading quality, and adding cost.”
The measure now heads to the Senate for consideration as part of the broader Farm Bill.
Fetterman, a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, has previously backed similar efforts, including the Hot Foods Act, which seeks to make all hot foods eligible under the program, and legislation aimed at protecting recipients from EBT card skimming.
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