18 states planning tighter SNAP restrictions in 2026

Over a dozen states will end food stamp coverage for candy, soda, and other unhealthy foods throughout 2026, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs, or SNAP, in Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, and West Virginia are scheduled to begin enforcing tighter restrictions on Thursday on soda, soft drinks, or candy.

Removing junk food from SNAP is advancing nutrition and puts the Make America Healthy Again movement in motion, according to a Wednesday release from the USDA. An estimated 12.3% of U.S. residents use SNAP every month, according to USDA data released in August. At least 16% of residents in Oregon, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Louisiana receive SNAP benefits.

The Trump administration is restoring SNAP’s original purpose of helping those in need receive nutrition, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a separate December statement. The restrictions will protect children from highly processed foods and help Americans live longer, healthier lives, she added.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. described Americans being trapped in an unhealthy cycle with overreaching SNAP coverage. The system forces taxpayers to fund a program that leads to obesity, and then fund additional programs to treat the illness created by the first program, he said.

What other states are planning SNAP bans on soda and candy?

• Colorado, Hawaii, and Virginia planned to end SNAP coverage of sweetened beverages, like soda and soft drinks, by October 2026.

• Idaho, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, South Carolina, Missouri, North Dakota, Tennessee, and Florida planned to ban SNAP coverage of certain unhealthy drinks and candy purchases by October 2026.

• The soft drink bans in Louisiana, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, and North Dakota included an express ban on energy drinks.

• Tennessee, Missouri, and Florida planned additional restrictions on purchasing certain processed foods or prepared desserts.

The USDA released several graphics on Wednesday celebrating what the agency said were various achievements within the SNAP program in 2025. Federal officials exposed nearly $3 billion in SNAP fraud across 28 states and moved 800,000 individuals off the program, according to the releases.

Dig deeper: Read Addie Offereins’ previous report in WORLD Magazine about Big Food and anti-hunger groups fighting against SNAP reforms.