MYRTLE BEACH — The S.C. Department of Environmental Health and Control is seeking public input on what foods should be part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The SNAP program, commonly called “food stamps,” offers nutrition assistance to eligible low income individuals and families.

More than 878,000 South Carolinians participate in SNAP receiving cash benefits of $1.4 billion annually, said Jim Beasley spokesman for DHEC.

The current list of food items that can be purchased with food stamps includes most consumable products, regardless of the item’s nutritional value. The state wants to update the eligible food list to better reflect the health needs of the state and combat obesity, Beasley said.

Two out of three South Carolinians are overweight or obese, he said.

The closest meeting to the Grand Strand is at the Bevis Conference Center at the Pee Dee Mental Health Center in Florence. That meeting will be March 28 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Comments can also be made online at www.scdhec.gov/snap, by emailing snapcomments@dhec.sc.gov, or by calling 1-866-664-0483.

Contact AMANDA KELLEY at 626-0381, or follow her at Twitter.com/TSN_akelley.