Starting Jan. 1, people in Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah and West Virginia who use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will encounter new limits on what they can buy with the federal grocery benefit. The changes come through state waivers that prohibit the purchase of specific foods—such as soda and candy—part of what Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins are promoting as a way to encourage healthier diets.
In statements provided by the Kennedy administration, the effort is framed as reducing illnesses associated with sweetened drinks and other treats. Kennedy said the administration could not continue a system that “forces taxpayers to fund programs that make people sick and then pay a second time to treat the illnesses those very programs help create.” The effort aligns with Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, which targets chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes.
The waivers depart from SNAP’s long-standing federal approach, first enacted in 1964 and later authorized by the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008. Under the law, SNAP benefits can be used for “any food or food product intended for human consumption,” with specific exclusions including alcohol and ready-to-eat hot foods, and the statute also bars tobacco purchases.
While lawmakers have previously proposed limiting SNAP purchases for items such as expensive meats or so-called junk foods, earlier waiver requests were denied. The rejections were based on U.S. Department of Agriculture research that concluded restrictions would be costly and complicated to implement and might not change recipients’ buying habits or reduce health problems such as obesity.
Under the second Trump administration, states have been encouraged—and in some cases incentivized—to seek waivers, and the first group has now moved forward. Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, announcing his state’s request in spring, said it was not “the usual top-down, one-size-fits-all public health agenda,” adding that Indiana was “focused on root causes, transparent information and real results.”
The first five states’ waivers apply to about 1.4 million people, with specific bans varying by state. Utah and West Virginia will prohibit SNAP from being used to buy soda and soft drinks, while Nebraska will bar soda and energy drinks. Indiana will target soft drinks and candy, and Iowa—described by the reporting as having the most restrictive rules to date—will limit “taxable foods,” including soda and candy, and also certain prepared foods.
Industry groups and health policy experts raised concerns that the waivers may create confusion at checkout and that the evidence for improved outcomes is mixed. The National Retail Federation predicted longer lines and more customer complaints as SNAP recipients try to understand which items are affected by the waivers. Kate Bauer, a nutrition science expert at the University of Michigan, said: “It’s a disaster waiting to happen of people trying to buy food and being rejected.”
Retail groups also estimated the implementation cost to grocery stores. A report by the National Grocers Association and other industry trade groups estimated that implementing SNAP restrictions would cost U.S. retailers $1.6 billion initially and $759 million each year going forward. Other critics said the effect would amount to broader consumer costs, with Gina Plata-Nino, SNAP director for the anti-hunger advocacy group Food Research & Action Center, saying: “Punishing SNAP recipients means we all get to pay more at the grocery store.”
Plata-Nino also criticized how states communicate the list of restricted items to households. In a blog post, she wrote that “The items list does not provide enough specific information to prepare a SNAP participant to go to the grocery store,” adding that additional items, including certain prepared foods, would also be disallowed even though they were not clearly identified in household notices.
For recipients, the waivers raise concerns not only about shopping logistics but also about stigma. Marc Craig, 47, of Des Moines, said he has been living in his car since October and that the waivers would make it harder to figure out how to use the $298 in SNAP benefits he receives each month, while also increasing the stigma he feels at the cash register. Craig said: “They treat people that get food stamps like we’re not people.”
The waivers are set to last two years, with the possibility of an additional three-year extension, according to the Agriculture Department, and each state must assess the impact of the changes. Health experts said the waivers overlook larger factors affecting SNAP recipients’ health. Anand Parekh, a medical doctor and chief health policy officer at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, said: “This doesn’t solve the two fundamental problems, which is healthy food in this country is not affordable and unhealthy food is cheap and ubiquitous.”
As states implement the waivers, federal officials will continue to evaluate the results and whether restrictions on certain items meaningfully improve health outcomes for the roughly 42 million Americans who rely on SNAP.