The Agriculture Department approved six more states—Hawaii, Missouri, North Dakota, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee—to limit SNAP purchases of sugary drinks and some unhealthy foods, bringing the total to 18 states. Federal waivers take effect in 2026, run for two years and may be extended for three more. Administration officials say the move aims to improve nutrition and reduce chronic disease, while critics argue there is limited evidence the restrictions will work and warn they could harm people in food deserts.
Six More States Approved To Restrict SNAP Purchases Of Sugary Drinks And Junk Food
The U.S. Agriculture Department has approved six additional states—Hawaii, Missouri, North Dakota, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee—to limit the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for sugary sodas and certain other foods deemed unhealthy, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Wednesday.
Those approvals bring the total number of states cleared to impose such limits to 18. The previously approved states include Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and West Virginia.
Under federal waivers set to take effect in 2026, participating states may adjust SNAP rules to bar purchases of items their governments designate as ineligible. The waivers run for two years and may be extended for up to three additional years, according to the National Grocers Association.
States are using different standards to define which items will be banned. For example, Arkansas proposes restricting purchases of soda and fruit-flavored drinks that contain less than 50% natural juice, along with candy and certain sugary beverages. Florida’s planned restrictions would target soda, energy drinks, candy and prepared desserts.
Administration Rationale
Administration officials framed the change as a public-health measure intended to improve nutrition and reduce diet-related chronic disease. Secretary Rollins described the effort as part of the "Make America Healthy Again" initiative to restore SNAP’s focus on nutrition.
“We all know we’re at the point where we must do something to correct the chronic health problems that Americans face,” Rollins said.
“U.S. taxpayers should not be paying to feed kids foods, the poorest kids in our country, with foods that are going to give them diabetes,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. added, saying the administration wants to reduce future health-care costs tied to diet-driven illnesses.
Cautions From Public-Health Groups
Critics and public-health advocates caution there is limited direct evidence that restricting SNAP purchases of items like candy and soda will meaningfully improve diet quality or reduce chronic disease. Joelle Johnson of the Center for Science in the Public Interest told NPR that robust data showing clear health benefits from such restrictions is lacking.
“Just because somebody participates in SNAP doesn’t mean that they don’t deserve the same food choices that somebody who doesn’t participate in SNAP has,” Johnson said, emphasizing equity concerns.
Access And Affordability Concerns
Opponents also note practical barriers to healthier buying patterns. The Agriculture Department previously identified roughly 6,500 food deserts between 2000 and 2006; more recent estimates cited by Medical News Today put the number of Americans living in low-income areas more than one mile from a large grocery store at about 23.5 million, with 11.5 million of those residents having low incomes.
Rising grocery prices compound the issue: retail-pricing firm Datasembly reports the average American is paying nearly 30% more for groceries than six years ago, making healthy options relatively more expensive for many households.
The approved waivers allow states to develop their own lists of prohibited items and implement restrictions beginning in 2026. How each state applies and enforces those rules—and whether they produce measurable health improvements—remains to be seen.
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