SUTTON — Moving forward with his plans to encourage West Virginians to make healthier choices, Gov. Patrick Morrisey took the first step in ending subsidization of sugary sodas.

In a press release and video released Tuesday afternoon, Morrisey announced that he had officially submitted a request to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a waiver for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The formal waiver would remove soda as a food product that can be purchased on SNAP, the program that replaced food stamps. Instead, the waiver request would add healthy food to be purchased with SNAP benefits.

“I’m here today to announce that we have officially submitted a SNAP waiver request to ensure that soda is no longer an entitlement under the SNAP program,” Morrisey said. “For a long time I’ve talked about the fact that SNAP, the “N” should stand for nutrition. Well now it’s going to even more than you’ve seen in the past.”

Morrisey first announced he would seek a SNAP waiver prohibiting the purchase of soft drinks in March at a press event with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. following the passage and signing of House Bill 2354, banning specific food additives and dyes found in processed food products sold in the state, such as red dye No. 3 and yellow dye No. 5, beginning Jan. 1, 2028.

Morrisey said he was appreciative of the USDA and HHS and the work being done with the Make America Healthy Again movement.

“I’m really appreciative of (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins and RFK for what they’re doing to take on these big fights and to help really move the needle in terms of going after the disease states that we have in our country,” Morrisey said.

At the press conference, Morrisey announced his “Four Pillars of a Healthy West Virginia. The pillars including the ban on food dyes and additives, the SNAP waiver request along with work, job training and education requirements for future SNAP benefits, the Mountaineer Mile challenge with Mountain Mile Trails being designated in 32 of West Virginia’s state parks and increasing access to affordable healthy food choices for West Virginians.

“We’re promoting healthy bundles, that’s fresh produce and lean meat and good opportunities for some hot foods for West Virginians, for some products that you’ve never been able to have before,” Morrisey said. “This is the way we have to do it. We have to get West Virginia healthy again.”

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, West Virginia leads the national average in several statistics: 41.2% of adults who are obese, 20% of adults who have been told they have diabetes and 10.8% of adults who have been told they have cardiovascular disease.

“Certainly in West Virginia we can make big progress going after obesity, diabetes and a lot of other tough health conditions,” Morrisey said. “Today’s a big step forward, a lot more into the future, but I wanted to come to you and announce that. Let’s get out there, let’s walk, let’s live healthy purposeful lives and let’s keep making progress West Virginia.”