Vitamin-deficient farm bill
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Provision allowing low-income families to use food stamp benefits for dietary supplements such as multivitamins, folic acid, calcium deleted from the farm bill (HR 2646) in conference report filed May 1. Vitamin language, which was introduced by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) in December and passed the Senate in February, received no support from House conferees and was removed during conference. A Harkin staffer noted the senator will not abandon the provision and could introduce similar language in a separate bill, although there are no definite plans to do so. Farm bill marked the first time vitamin language made it through the Senate (1"The Tan Sheet" Dec. 17, 2001, p. 6)...