Fetterman wants SNAP to cover hot rotisserie chicken

Audio By Carbonatix

(The Center Square) – U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., and three of his colleagues have introduced a bill that would allow beneficiaries enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, to buy hot rotisserie chicken with their benefits.

Called the “Hot Rotisserie Chicken Act,” it’s just the latest in a series of proposals from the first-term senator that would modernize the program, which is used by 2 million low-income Pennsylvanians.

“America’s best (and delicious) affordability play is Costco’s $4.99 rotisserie chicken,” said Fetterman. “It’s one of my family’s favorites and I’m proud to join this bill with Senator Justice for all to try.” 

U.S. Sens. Jim Justice, R-W.Va.; Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Michael Bennet, D-Colo., are leading the charge with Pennsylvania’s senior senator.

“SNAP funds would be well spent to feed our nation’s families who need it,” Fetterman said. 

Under current statute, SNAP recipients can purchase cooked rotisserie chickens that have been cooled down, but it does not allow the purchase of hot prepared foods. The proposal would change that by amending the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to modify the definition of food to include “hot rotisserie chicken.” 

Justice described it as “just common sense.”

“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,” he said. “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.”

Capito called the bill a “simple, practical step to make the program work better for the people it serves.” 

“For seniors, working families, and those without reliable access to cooking equipment, this is about convenience and dignity,” Capito said. “With multiple states—including West Virginia—already requesting flexibility in this area, this bill brings SNAP in line with real-world needs while making smart, efficient use of taxpayer dollars.”

At around $5 a piece at grocery stores, supporters argue that rotisserie chicken is “unmatched in value, especially when factoring in how much time it saves.”

The proposal does not increase funding or participant eligibility for SNAP or include all other hot food. It also only applies to eligible retailers, maintaining that SNAP will not be expanded to restaurants.

“Congress should be making it easier, not harder, for families to put food on the table,” Bennet said.

About 70% of SNAP participants are children, elderly, or have disabilities, according to the National Association of Convenience Stores.

The hot foods ban has been in place since the 1970s, when most Americans prepared meals from scratch. A 2021 USDA report found that 30% of SNAP participants cite lack of time as a barrier to cooking, while 15% cite physical disability and 11% cite lack of kitchen equipment.

Federal data shows 12.3% of U.S. residents receive SNAP benefits. Two million in Pennsylvania, or roughly 15% of the population, use the program, spending more than $350 million monthly across 38,000 stores, some of which depend mostly on these sales to survive.

Fetterman, a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, has also backed Bennet’s Hot Food Act, which would allow all hot foods to be eligible under the program, and the Cybersecurity for SNAP Act, which would increase the security of EBT cards to prevent skimming. 

The Fairness for Victims of SNAP Skimming Act, which Fetterman also introduced, would allow USDA to repay recipients whose EBT funds were stolen from their cards.