Part I: Tuesday, March 24, 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. ET

Across the country, policymakers are debating—and in some states, beginning to enact—restrictions on what SNAP recipients can purchase. Proponents frame these limits as a public health intervention. But for millions of families navigating food insecurity, the stakes are far more personal: their autonomy, dignity, and trust in a system designed to support them.

Join Food & Society and GW’s Global Food Institute for the next installment of our popular Conversations on Food Justice series.

Part I of this two-part conversation will focus on the policy debate and the evidence behind proposed SNAP purchase restrictions. Our panel of leading researchers and policy experts will explore:

  • What the research says about nutrition-based SNAP restrictions

  • The public health arguments driving current policy proposals

  • Where the evidence is strong, where it’s limited, and what we still don’t know

Register Today

Attend live or register to automatically receive the recording.

Meet Our Panelists

Sara Bleich, Vice Provost for Special Projects at Harvard University and Professor of Public Health Policy at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Laura Schmidt, Professor, Institute for Health Policy Studies, UC San Francisco

Lindsey Smith Taillie, Professor, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Moderated by Priya Fielding-Singh, Director of Policy and Programs, GW’s Global Food Institute

Save the Date for Part II: Friday, April 17, 2026, 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. E.S.T.

Part II will turn from policy theory to real-world practice, exploring how SNAP purchase restrictions play out for retailers, food businesses, and the communities the program serves. Panelists for Part II will be announced soon.