Millions of Americans who rely on federal food assistance are facing new limits on what they can purchase, as a growing number of states move to restrict the types of items that can be bought using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
Eight additional states — Arkansas, Colorado, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, and Virginia — are set to implement new purchase restrictions in 2026, joining a wave of states that have already placed limits on soda, energy drinks, and candy bought with SNAP benefits. Colorado’s rollout, originally scheduled earlier, was pushed back to October by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Kansas, Nevada, and Wyoming are expected to follow with their own restrictions within two years. By 2028, nearly half of all states are projected to have such rules on the books.
The changes align with the Trump administration’s push to steer SNAP spending toward what Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has called “real food.” The USDA recently announced that retailers authorized to accept SNAP payments will also face new requirements beginning this fall, mandating that they stock at least seven types of items across four food categories: protein, grains, dairy, and produce.
SNAP, which assists approximately one in eight Americans with monthly grocery benefits loaded onto a debit card, has long prohibited the use of benefits for alcohol and tobacco. The new restrictions expand those limits to include certain sweetened beverages and sweets, though the USDA says additional details on implementation are forthcoming.
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