MADISON - A Wisconsin lawmaker would like to make the state??s food stamp program a healthier one by prohibiting the purchase of junk food, the Associated Press reports.

State Rep. Dean Kaufert said people on the state??s FoodShare program, the nutrition assistance initiative, should not be able to purchase chips, soft drinks or cakes, and should instead be limited to purchase "staple foods and beverages that have nutritional value."

"The system is being abused," he said. "Some people are not spending their benefits wisely."

Kaufert??s bill doesn??t stipulate which products would be affected by his proposal, and the state can??t change what FoodShare covers without a federal waiver.

That??s because the program relies on federal money, which allows the purchase of nearly any food other than restaurant meals (as well as alcohol, cigarettes and non-food items).

Last year, the food stamp program came under criticism when there were reports of recipients selling their benefit cards to others and applying for replacements.

A spokesperson for Governor Scott Walker has declined to comment on the bill, saying only that the governor would review it should it pass.

Cassandra Vanderwall, public policy coordinator for the Madison Dietetic Association, said restrictions on food stamp users' food purchases are unfair because of the lack of universal access to grocery stores. Instead, she said the state should invest more in nutrition education.