US EditionSNAP Restrictions on Junk Food in Certain States Begin in 2026
Five states will restrict SNAP benefits from buying sugary foods and drinks starting Jan. 1, affecting about 1.4 million people as part of a federal public health effort.
- Five states will begin restrictions on Jan. 1, affecting about 1.4 million people and barring Electronic Benefit Transfer cards from buying sugary drinks, candy, and some prepared foods in Iowa.
- As part of the Make America Healthy Again initiative, officials say USDA and administration leaders encouraged states to request waivers to refocus SNAP on nutrition and improve health.
- Restrictions vary by state, with some targeting drinks and others broader items; retailers are updating point-of-sale systems, posting signage and training employees after recent approvals to prepare customers.
- Recipents report confusion at checkout and stigma, with Luke Elzinger saying `This bill punishes poor people, increases program stigma and pushes false notion that low-income Iowans cannot be trusted to make food choices for their families`.
- Departing from long-standing federal rules, the waivers break from the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, with prior USDA research denying similar requests over cost and complexity, while state governments must assess impacts as approvals roll out across 18 states.
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5 States Limit Soda, Candy for SNAP Recipients to Curb Obesity
Residents in five states receiving federal food assistance will face new restrictions on their benefits when it comes to purchasing soda, candy, and other items categorized as unhealthy starting Thursday, marking the first push to overhaul the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, and West Virginia are leading the charge on the new restrictions through waivers approved by the U.S. Department of Agricult…
SNAP junk-food purchase restrictions take effect Jan. 1 in five states, others to follow in 2026
The new year brings new restrictions on food purchases by SNAP recipients. On Jan. 1, five states are banning SNAP recipients from using their taxpayer-funded food assistance benefit to purchase junk food.
The beginning of 2026 brings immediate changes for hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries of the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Since Thursday, January 1, five states —Indian, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah and West Virginia — are beginning to apply new restrictions limiting the use of SNAP for the purchase of soft drinks, sweets and other products considered unhealthy.Read more]]>
SNAP benefits can't be used to buy soda, candy, soft drinks from New Year—which states are implementing policy change?
The new restrictions also mark a departure from decades of US federal policy, which previously allowed SNAP benefits to be used for ‘any food or food product intended for human consumption,’ excluding alcohol, tobacco, and ready-to-eat hot foods.
Associated Press News
SNAP bans on soda, candy and other foods take effect in five states Jan. 1
Americans in five states who get government help paying for groceries will see new limits starting Thursday on soda, candy and other foods they can buy with those benefits.
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