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5h ago

Indiana Begins SNAP Ban on Sugary Drinks and Candy

Retailers face a 90-day scramble to reprogram checkout systems, with grocers and charities offering short-term relief.

FILE - Indiana Governor Mike Braun is joined by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, right, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz during a news conference in Indianapolis, April 15, 2025.  (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
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People stand in line at the Contra Costa County Workforce Services for their monthly debt cards and food stamps in Richmond, California, U.S., on Friday, Feb. 13, 2009. In Contra Costa County, 40,000 families are applying for just 350 affordable-housing vouchers, church-operated pantries are running out of food, and crisis calls have more than doubled. The worst financial crisis in seven decades is forcing thousands of previously middle-income workers to seek social services, overwhelming local agencies, clinics and nonprofits. (Photo by Tony Avelar/Bloomberg via Getty Images). Inset: Stock Photo/Penpak Ngamsathain/Getty Images

Overview

  • The change applies statewide to roughly 570,000 SNAP recipients in Indiana, according to USDA data.
  • Retailers say they must reprogram more than 70,000 UPCs and warn of checkout confusion and longer lines, with a 90-day grace period for compliance.
  • Items newly ineligible include most soft, sports and energy drinks, along with common candies such as chocolate and gummies.
  • The policy stems from Gov. Mike Braun’s Making Indiana Healthy Again executive order, which officials frame as promoting healthier eating and which HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has publicly backed.
  • Kroger announced a 20% discount on fruits and vegetables for SNAP shoppers, and community groups held food drives and outreach events in places like Switzerland County.