1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Reform Act of 2017 . 2. Work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents (a) Declaration of policy Section 2 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 ( 7 U.S.C. 2011 ) is amended by adding at the end the following: Congress further finds that it should also be the purpose of the supplemental nutrition assistance program to increase employment, to encourage healthy marriage, and to promote prosperous self-sufficiency, which means the ability of households to maintain an income above the poverty level without services and benefits from the Federal Government. . (b) Definitions (1) Food Section 3(k) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 ( 7 U.S.C. 2012(k) ) is amended by inserting before the period at the end the following: , except that a food, food product, meal, or other item described in this subsection shall be considered a food under this Act only if it is an essential (as determined by the Secretary) . (2) Supervised job search Section 3 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 ( 7 U.S.C. 2012 ) is amended— (A) by redesignating subsections (t) through (v) as subsections (u) through (w), respectively