Food Stamps Will Stop Covering Soda, Chips, and Candy in 18 States by 2026

The Biggest Change to SNAP in 60 Years

If you receive food stamps, your grocery list is about to get shorter.

Starting in 2026, 18 states will ban the purchase of soda, candy, and other junk food using SNAP benefits.

The restrictions vary by state, with some only targeting soft drinks while others go after energy drinks, chips, and even birthday cakes.

About 42 million Americans rely on the program, and the USDA says one in five SNAP dollars currently goes toward sugary drinks and snacks.

The change marks the first major restriction on food stamp purchases since Congress created the program in 1964, and the debate over whether it will actually improve health is just getting started.

Six More States Just Got Approved

On December 10, 2025, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins signed waivers for Hawaii, Missouri, North Dakota, South Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee.

That brings the total to 18 states restricting what SNAP recipients can buy.

The first 12 states received approval earlier in 2025: Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.

All but Colorado and Hawaii are led by Republican governors.

The push is part of the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, backed by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Each State Sets Its Own Rules

The bans look different depending on where you live. Colorado and West Virginia only prohibit soft drinks.

Idaho bans soda and candy. Iowa has the broadest restrictions, blocking anything that gets taxed under state law, including candy, gum, marshmallows, flavored water, and juice drinks with less than half real fruit.

Texas bans soda, energy drinks, candy, chips, cookies, and sweetened beverages.

Florida is the only state prohibiting prepared desserts, so you can’t use benefits to buy a birthday cake from the bakery section.

Most Bans Start January 1, 2026

The clock is ticking for SNAP recipients to adjust. Most states will begin enforcing restrictions on January 1, 2026.

Texas launches its ban on April 1, 2026. Arkansas waits until July 1, 2026.

Until then, current rules apply, and you can still buy anything except alcohol, tobacco, hot prepared foods, and personal care products. After the deadline, stores will need to flag restricted items at checkout.

If you try to buy something banned, you’ll see an “item not allowed” message and need to pay with cash or a different card.

Sugary Drinks Are the Top Purchase

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins says sugary drinks are the number one item SNAP households buy. Agency data shows that 20% of all SNAP spending goes toward sweetened beverages, desserts, salty snacks, and candy.

That works out to about $23 billion per year on items critics call junk food.

SNAP households spend roughly 10% of their food budget on sugary drinks alone, compared to 7% for households not receiving benefits.

A 2011 analysis found the federal government spent an estimated $4 billion on soda for SNAP recipients that year, more than six times what it spent preventing chronic diseases like diabetes.

Food Stamps Started During the Depression

The program has roots in the 1930s, when the country faced both widespread hunger and mountains of unsold farm goods.

In 1939, the government created the first food stamp program to move surplus crops to families who needed them.

Recipients bought orange stamps for regular food and got free blue stamps for surplus items the USDA wanted to move.

The program fed about 20 million people before ending in 1943 when World War II eliminated both the food surplus and mass unemployment that had made it necessary.

Kennedy and Johnson Made It Permanent

President Kennedy revived food stamps in 1961 after seeing poverty firsthand during his campaign in West Virginia. His first executive order directed the USDA to help hungry families through pilot programs.

Mr. and Mrs. Alderson Muncy of Paynesville, West Virginia, became the first recipients, purchasing $95 in stamps for their 15-person household on May 29, 1961.

President Johnson signed the Food Stamp Act of 1964 as part of his War on Poverty, calling it “one of our most valuable weapons. ” By 1974, the program had spread nationwide.

Congress Almost Banned Soda in 1964

The debate over junk food and food stamps is older than the program itself.

When Congress wrote the Food Stamp Act of 1964, the House version would have prohibited soft drinks and “luxury foods.”

Senators stripped those provisions from the final bill, believing recipients wouldn’t spend much on soda anyway. They were wrong.

The program was renamed SNAP in 2008, but the rule allowing almost any food purchase remained unchanged for 60 years.

Minnesota tried to get a waiver to ban soda and candy in 2004, but the USDA rejected it, saying restrictions would “stigmatize” recipients.

WIC Has Always Had Restrictions

Another federal nutrition program proves food restrictions can work.

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC, has limited purchases to specific healthy foods since it began in 1972.

WIC recipients can only buy items like milk, eggs, whole grain bread, fruits, vegetables, and baby formula. No soda.No candy. No chips.

The program serves about 6 million pregnant women, new mothers, and young children. Supporters of SNAP restrictions point to WIC as proof that limiting food choices doesn’t destroy a nutrition program.

Research Says Bans May Not Work

Scientists who study food policy aren’t convinced the bans will make anyone healthier.

University of Michigan researchers found that when people can’t buy soda with benefits, they often buy other unhealthy items or simply use their own money for the restricted products.

Professor Kate Bauer says the restrictions make life harder for SNAP users without improving their diets.

A Tufts University economist found that SNAP recipients buy and eat food much like everyone else, with only modest differences in nutritional quality.

Critics argue incentive programs that reward healthy purchases work better than bans.

Millions Live in Food Deserts

About 54 million Americans live in areas the USDA calls “low access,” meaning they’re more than half a mile from a supermarket in urban areas or more than 10 miles in rural areas.

These food deserts often have plenty of corner stores and fast food but few options for fresh produce. Critics of the SNAP restrictions say banning junk food ignores this reality.

If healthy food isn’t available or affordable nearby, people can’t buy it regardless of the rules.

A Texas state senator who opposed the bill warned that food deserts in poor urban areas could actually grow if retailers drop out of the program rather than deal with complicated new restrictions.

Stores Must Sort 650,000 Products

Retailers face a massive challenge. More than 650,000 food and beverage products sit on American store shelves, with 20,000 new items added every year.

There’s no federal definition of “junk food,” and each state drew its own lines. Is Honey Nut Cheerios healthy or unhealthy?

What about orange juice, which has more sugar than some sodas?

Large chains like Walmart can update their systems, but smaller stores may struggle or decide accepting SNAP isn’t worth the hassle.

The Food Research & Action Center warns that fewer participating stores could leave SNAP recipients with even fewer places to shop, making the access problem worse, not better.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

• Trump Signs Law Stripping Food Stamps From Parents With Teens, Veterans, and More
• USDA Threatens to Cut Funding to Blue States Over SNAP Data Fight
• Trump’s New Food Stamp Rules Spare One Group Forever