Four additional states have been granted federal approval to restrict recipients from using SNAP benefits to purchase certain sugary products, as part of an ongoing initiative to reform the food assistance program.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved the waivers for Kansas, Ohio, Nevada, and Wyoming. The states will implement different restrictions on high-sugar items over the coming years.
Kansas will prohibit candy and soft drinks starting February 15, 2027.
Ohio’s ban on sugar-sweetened beverages begins October 1, 2026.
Wyoming will ban sweetened carbonated beverages effective February 1, 2027.
Nevada will restrict both candy and sugar-sweetened beverages effective February 1, 2028.
These approvals increase the number of states with waivers limiting purchases of foods or beverages considered low in nutritional value to 22. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program helps more than 40 million low- and no-income people buy groceries each month.
The changes are part of the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again initiative. Last summer, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. issued a press release, calling on all governors to submit a SNAP waiver to eliminate sugary drinks.
“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,” said Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins.
“SNAP exists to nourish vulnerable Americans — not bankroll the products driving our chronic disease crisis,” Kennedy said in a March 4 press release. “Today, we are putting nutrition back at the center of SNAP and giving millions of families greater access to real food.”
Kavelle Christie, a health policy and advocacy expert, told Newsweek: “The issue isn’t about individuals misusing their benefits, but their limited choices. In many rural areas and food deserts, convenience stores and fast-food chains are often the only available options. For many families, fresh produce and healthy meals are luxuries that are unattainable, not because they do not want these foods, but because they are unavailable or too expensive.”
SNAP is funded by the federal government and administered at the state level. Benefits are delivered through electronic benefit transfer cards. The program cost just over $100 billion in fiscal year 2024.
The full list of states with approved waivers now includes Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. The restrictions will take effect at various points from 2026 through 2028.
In Texas, the ban on sugary drinks, artificially sweetened beverages, and candy using SNAP benefits kicks in on April 1, 2026.