This week, several states are introducing new restrictions on what can be bought with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP benefits), the federal program that helps low-income households put food on the table.
Why It Matters
These changes come through federal waivers approved in 2025, which give states more flexibility to determine what SNAP funds can buy. The push has come from the federal government, with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. both having urged states to remove unhealthier food products from SNAP.
What To Know
SNAP benefits, often called food stamps, are loaded onto electronic benefit transfer cards that work much like debit cards, allowing recipients to purchase groceries.
Under the new rules, certain high-sugar or low-nutrition items will no longer be eligible for purchase. In Idaho and Oklahoma, restrictions on purchasing soda and candy take effect on February 15. Louisiana follows on February 18, expanding the list to include soft drinks and candy as well as energy drinks.
Across the three states, more than a million SNAP recipients will be impacted by the changes.
While each state’s rules differ slightly, the goal of the waivers is generally to reduce purchases of foods that are high in sugar, fat, and calories but low in nutritional value.
Eighteen states have adopted such rules, including Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia. Some states, like Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, and West Virginia, already implemented restrictions as early as January 1. Others are scheduled to follow throughout 2026.
What People Are Saying
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said: “President Trump has made it clear: We are restoring SNAP to its true purpose—nutrition. Under the MAHA initiative, we are taking bold, historic steps to reverse the chronic diseases epidemic that has taken root in this country for far too long.”
Rollins added that the waivers “empower states to lead, protect our children from the dangers of highly processed foods, and move one step closer to the president’s promise to Make America Healthy Again.”
Idaho Governor Brad Little, a Republican, said when the waiver was approved in mid-2025: “Idaho proudly welcomes the MAHA movement because it is all about looking for new ways to improve nutrition, increase exercise, and take better care of ourselves and one another, especially our children. We are excited to partner with the Trump administration in bringing common sense to the government’s food assistance program with the approval of our SNAP waiver.”
The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning think tank, said in October 2025: “SNAP helps more than 41 million people put food on the table each month, while supporting local stores and strengthening economies.
“Cutting SNAP funding and policing people’s groceries does not improve the program or respect their dignity. States should focus on reducing hardship amid slashed funding and eligibility rollbacks—not make it more complicated to use this critical program.”
What’s Next
As these rules take effect, other states with approved waivers will roll out their changes throughout the year.
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