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6d ago

USDA Approves SNAP Waivers for Arkansas, Idaho and Utah to Block Soda and Candy Purchases

The change aims to curb chronic diseases by steering SNAP spending away from soda and candy.

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U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins speaks to the media outside the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May, 5, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo
Stock image/file photo: A woman looks at shelves stocked with soft drinks in a grocery store.
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Overview

  • Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins signed waivers on June 10 allowing those states to bar SNAP participants from buying sugary drinks, candy and other processed foods with benefits.
  • The approvals advance President Trump’s Make America Healthy Again initiative spearheaded by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
  • USDA has previously granted similar waivers to Indiana, Iowa and Nebraska, and is reviewing requests from Colorado, Kansas, West Virginia, Texas, Ohio, Florida and Louisiana.
  • Kennedy and Rollins confirmed they will release updated federal dietary guidelines this summer emphasizing whole, nutritious foods.
  • More than 41 million people receive SNAP benefits, about 23 percent of which currently fund unhealthy snacks, and a House bill would further tighten eligibility through increased work requirements.