But Born said he thinks taxpayers are tired of seeing their hard-earned dollars spent on unhealthy food.

“These programs are meant to help people make it through a difficult time and provide food for families and, in some cases, individuals,” Born said. “It’s just trying to get the people on government assistance programs to use them for what they were intended for.”

In the last legislative session, a junk food bill failed to make it to the Senate floor after passing the Assembly on a bipartisan vote of 68-26.

The measure faced opposition from the food industry and retailers as well as social-service groups. In all, opponents reported spending more than 800 hours lobbying lawmakers to reject the proposal, according to the Government Accountability Board. There was no organized group supporting it.