The Trump administration has cleared six more states to block soda and other junk food from being bought with food stamps, intensifying a conservative drive to steer the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program toward nutrition and away from taxpayer-funded products tied to obesity and diabetes.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Wednesday that Hawaii, Missouri, North Dakota, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee have received federal approval to bar the purchase of sugary drinks and other unhealthful items with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
The move is part of the Trump administration's "Make America Healthy Again" initiative.
"We all know we're at the point where we must do something to correct the chronic health problems that Americans face," Rollins told reporters at a news conference touting the "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) policy initiative.
The six states join Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and West Virginia, bringing the total to 18 states preparing to implement new restrictions next year.
Under federal waivers that begin in 2026, those states will be allowed to rewrite SNAP rules to block specific categories of junk food, with waivers lasting two years and potentially extended for three more, according to the National Grocers Association.
Arkansas plans to restrict soda, fruit and vegetable drinks with less than 50% natural juice, along with candy and other sugary products. Florida is preparing to prohibit soda, energy drinks, candy and prepared desserts, mirroring pushes by Republican-led states that have argued for years that food stamps should not subsidize empty calories.
Rollins and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. framed the waivers as a course correction after years of SNAP dollars flowing to sugar-sweetened beverages.
A landmark Department of Agriculture study found soft drinks were the single largest product category purchased by SNAP households at one major grocery chain, accounting for about 5% of their food spending, a larger share than for non-SNAP households.
"President [Donald] 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 said in a Wednesday press release.
Equity groups also argue the new rules could fall hardest on families living in "food deserts," areas with few full-service grocery stores.
The Agriculture Department has previously identified around 6,500 such communities, and experts estimate roughly 23.5 million people live in low-income neighborhoods more than a mile from a large supermarket, including 11.5 million people with low incomes.
Many of those residents rely on gas stations and corner stores that stock plenty of soda but limited fresh produce.
"We do not have quality data that says that if you restrict access to candy and soda in SNAP, you are going to see improved diet quality, improved nutrition, reduced chronic disease," said Joelle Johnson with the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "That data does not exist."
The Trump administration has cleared six more states to block soda and other junk food from being bought with food stamps, intensifying a conservative drive to steer the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program toward nutrition and away from taxpayer-funded products tied to obesity and diabetes.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Wednesday that Hawaii, Missouri, North Dakota, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee have received federal approval to bar the purchase of sugary drinks and other unhealthful items with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
The move is part of the Trump administration's "Make America Healthy Again" initiative.
"We all know we're at the point where we must do something to correct the chronic health problems that Americans face," Rollins told reporters at a news conference touting the "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) policy initiative.
The six states join Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and West Virginia, bringing the total to 18 states preparing to implement new restrictions next year.
Under federal waivers that begin in 2026, those states will be allowed to rewrite SNAP rules to block specific categories of junk food, with waivers lasting two years and potentially extended for three more, according to the National Grocers Association.
Arkansas plans to restrict soda, fruit and vegetable drinks with less than 50% natural juice, along with candy and other sugary products. Florida is preparing to prohibit soda, energy drinks, candy and prepared desserts, mirroring pushes by Republican-led states that have argued for years that food stamps should not subsidize empty calories.
Rollins and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. framed the waivers as a course correction after years of SNAP dollars flowing to sugar-sweetened beverages.
A landmark Department of Agriculture study found soft drinks were the single largest product category purchased by SNAP households at one major grocery chain, accounting for about 5% of their food spending, a larger share than for non-SNAP households.
"President [Donald] 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 said in a Wednesday press release.
Equity groups also argue the new rules could fall hardest on families living in "food deserts," areas with few full-service grocery stores.
The Agriculture Department has previously identified around 6,500 such communities, and experts estimate roughly 23.5 million people live in low-income neighborhoods more than a mile from a large supermarket, including 11.5 million people with low incomes.
Many of those residents rely on gas stations and corner stores that stock plenty of soda but limited fresh produce.
"We do not have quality data that says that if you restrict access to candy and soda in SNAP, you are going to see improved diet quality, improved nutrition, reduced chronic disease," said Joelle Johnson with the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "That data does not exist."
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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