Many States Now Banning Junk Food Purchases With SNAP Benefits

Six more states—Hawaii, Missouri, North Dakota, South Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee—have recently received approval to ban the purchase of junk food using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

SNAP, often called "food stamps," is a government program that helps over 40 million Americans with low or no income buy groceries.
 

What’s Changing

These newly approved rules, which will start in 2026, mean that people using SNAP in these states will not be able to buy certain foods with their EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) cards.

The targeted foods are mostly junk foods—things that are high in sugar or fat but low in nutritional value.

While each state has its own specific rules, many are banning sugary foods and drinks, though some states are only banning sugary drinks.

Altogether, 18 states have made or are planning these kinds of changes in the last year. Previous states to approve similar bans for 2025 include Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.
 

Why Are States Doing This?

Leaders supporting these bans say the goal is to encourage healthier eating and reduce chronic health problems that come from eating too much unhealthy food.

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins explained that these changes are meant to help families live healthier lives and fight diseases linked to poor diets.

Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin both praised the new rules, saying they will help their states become healthier and support local farming.
 

Not Everyone Agrees

Some experts and advocacy groups do not support these bans. Kavelle Christie, a health policy expert, argues that these rules create stigma and control over low-income people, rather than actually making them healthier.

She says if states really wanted to help, they’d invest in better healthcare and making healthy food more available, not just limit what people can buy.

The Food Research & Action Center, an anti-hunger group, echoed these concerns. They believe the government should focus on increasing SNAP benefits and making healthy food more accessible, instead of “policing” what people purchase.
 

What’s Next?

These changes are expected to take effect in the states that have approved them starting next year.

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