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SNAP junk food purchase ban: Four more states to implement restrictions — See other states with bans
Four states will limit SNAP purchases of high-sugar foods starting 2026, joining 18 others in approved waivers affecting over 40 million beneficiaries, USDA said.
- On March 4, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins signed waivers allowing Kansas, Ohio, Nevada and Wyoming to restrict SNAP purchases, a program supporting more than 40 million Americans.
- USDA officials point to pilot-project authority to test excluding some foods for health outcomes, while Congress incentivized states via the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program.
- Most waivers bar soda, candy and energy drinks, and EBT cards will block restricted items as states implement limits throughout 2026 to 2028, with Ohio starting October 1, 2026 and Kansas banning candy and soft drinks February 15, 2027.
- With the additions, 22 states now have waivers and supporters say rules prioritize nutrition, but critics warn tighter rules may penalize SNAP recipients, especially in rural communities and food deserts, while multi-state retailers face "compliance chaos" and possible litigation.
- Politically, the push is concentrated in Republican-led states though some Democratic-led states have joined, and the Trump administration began granting waivers in 2025 despite a 2007 USDA memo limiting pilot authority.
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California should join states that ban using food stamps for junk food
Re “30 states target unhealthy use of food stamps” (Feb. 26): Bravo for publishing this commentary. One has to wonder why California is not on the list. Is it because the soda and sugary foods industries have the power? Let’s go, Sacramento, and do the right thing, for the health of SNAP families, and all of our citizens. Sodas are non-food, useful only if one is stranded in the desert with no water. Purchase of sodas should never have been allo…
·San Diego, United States
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SNAP junk food purchase ban: Four more states to implement restrictions — See other states with bans
Kansas, Ohio, Nevada, and Wyoming are the latest states that will implement restrictions on food purchases by SNAP recipients and banning them from using their taxpayer-funded food assistance benefit to purchase junk food.
·Washington, United States
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Total News Sources11
Leaning Left1Leaning Right0Center9Last UpdatedBias Distribution90% Center
Bias Distribution
- 90% of the sources are Center
90% Center
C 90%
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