Starting January 1, 2026, residents in Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, and West Virginia will face new limitations on the types of food they can purchase with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. These changes, which affect approximately 1.4 million individuals, are part of a broader initiative led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to eliminate foods deemed unhealthy from the federal program, which has a budget of $100 billion and serves 42 million Americans.

Kennedy has stated that the current system is unsustainable, as it requires taxpayers to fund programs that contribute to health issues, only to incur additional costs for treating those conditions. The initiative aims to address chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes linked to sugary beverages and other unhealthy foods.

However, experts in retail and health policy have expressed concerns regarding the implementation of these restrictions. They argue that state SNAP programs are already strained due to budget cuts and may struggle with the complexities of these new regulations. There is no comprehensive list of affected foods, and the technical challenges at point-of-sale systems vary by state and store. Research on the effectiveness of such restrictions in improving diet quality and health outcomes remains inconclusive.

The National Retail Federation has predicted that the changes will lead to longer checkout lines and increased customer complaints as SNAP recipients navigate the new rules. Critics, including Gina Plata-Nino from the Food Research & Action Center, have pointed out that penalizing SNAP recipients could lead to higher grocery prices for all consumers.

Historically, SNAP benefits have been used for a wide range of food products, with exceptions for alcohol and hot prepared foods. Previous attempts to restrict purchases of certain items, such as junk food, were denied based on findings from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that indicated such measures would be costly and complicated, with little evidence of changing consumer behavior or improving health outcomes.

The recent push for waivers has been encouraged under the previous Trump administration, leading to a shift in state policies. Indiana Governor Mike Braun characterized the initiative as a tailored approach to public health, focusing on root causes and transparency.

The new waivers will last for two years, with the possibility of extension, and states are required to evaluate their impact. Health experts have raised concerns that these measures overlook the broader issues of food affordability and accessibility, emphasizing that healthy food options remain expensive while unhealthy options are widely available and inexpensive.