In 2026, Americans in five states who receive government assistance for groceries will face new restrictions on what they can buy with those benefits, including soda, candy, and other foods.
Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, and West Virginia are among the initial states—at least 18 in total—that have implemented waivers restricting the purchase of specific foods using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The National Confectioners Association (NCA) is actively opposing state-level efforts to ban the use of SNAP benefits to purchase items such as candy and soda.
Retail industry and health policy experts stated that state SNAP programs, which are already under significant budget cuts, are not ready for the complex changes ahead. They lack comprehensive lists of the affected foods and face technical point-of-sale issues that differ across states and stores. Research findings remain inconclusive on whether restricting SNAP purchases enhances diet quality and health.
The five-state ban is part of an effort by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to encourage states to remove foods deemed unhealthy from the $100 billion federal “food stamps” program, which assists 42 million Americans.
Kennedy said in a statement, “We cannot 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 initiative focuses on reducing chronic conditions such as obesity and diabetes linked to sweetened beverages and treats, aligning with Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative.
By CEO NA Editorial Staff
