Starting in 2026, over one-third of states in the United States will ban Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries from purchasing certain foods with their benefits. Additionally, states will have to bear a larger share of the administrative costs of the program. What are the key points to understand about these changes?
Beneficiaries of the SNAP program, which helps provide nutrition assistance to Americans, may need to adjust their shopping habits in 2026 as some states will prohibit the use of SNAP funds to buy certain “junk foods.”
Furthermore, starting in 2026, states will have to take on a greater proportion of the program’s operational costs. At the same time, states may face funding cuts if the error rate in benefit payments is too high.
Here is some critical information about the largest nutrition program reform in the United States.
In 2026, 18 states will restrict the purchase of certain low-nutrient foods. This reform is enacted as part of the “Make America Healthy Again” initiative introduced by the Department of Health and Human Services. To implement these changes, states must submit applications to the Department of Agriculture, which oversees the nutrition program, and obtain approval for federal rule waivers.
The start dates for implementing restrictions and the types of foods prohibited for purchase vary among states.
Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, and West Virginia will implement purchase restrictions on January 1, 2026. States like Idaho, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Colorado, Texas, Virginia, and Florida will follow between February and April. Arkansas, Tennessee, Hawaii, South Carolina, North Dakota, and Missouri will begin enforcing restrictions between July and October.
Most of these states have already removed items like candy, soda, and energy drinks from the list of SNAP eligible items.
In Tennessee and Iowa, SNAP recipients will no longer be able to use their benefits to purchase certain high-sugar foods and drinks. Tennessee will exclude processed foods with sugar, cane sugar, corn syrup, or high-fructose corn syrup listed as the first ingredient, excluding cooking and baking sugars, raw sugars, and other single-ingredient sugars. Iowa will exclude taxable food items such as candy, soft drinks, and certain juices.
Florida and Missouri will limit the purchase of pre-made desserts like cakes and cookies.
Residents in Iowa will no longer be able to use SNAP benefits to purchase food classified as “prepared,” which includes food sold in a heated state, food that has two or more food ingredients mixed or combined as a single item, or food sold with utensils. Unpackaged and unprepared cold foods such as bread, fruits, or canned goods are still permissible for purchase.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins stated that these measures are a “bold” and “historic” step taken to reverse the prevalence of chronic diseases in America.
“We are restoring SNAP to its true purpose – nutrition assistance,” Rollins said in a statement.
“Through these new waiver terms, we empower states to protect our children from the dangers of highly processed foods and further our commitment to the ‘Make America Healthy Again’ agenda of the President.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said, “We can’t continue this cycle – forcing taxpayers to fund programs that make people sick, only to have to spend money again treating the diseases those programs foster.
These restrictions mark the first time waivers for SNAP have been approved by the Department of Agriculture.
From the early 2000s to 2024, the Department of Agriculture had consistently rejected requests from states to restrict specific food items under SNAP.
In 2007, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a document explaining why it denied such waivers, stating that “there are currently no clear standards to define which foods are superior or inferior, or healthy or not.”
The first waiver was approved on May 19, when Rollins signed off on Nebraska’s request, followed quickly by approvals for Indiana and Iowa on May 22. Since then, 15 more states have been granted waivers.
States’ governments will also face changes in the administration of the SNAP program in 2026.
Starting in October 2026, states will be responsible for covering 75% of the administrative costs of SNAP. Under the current system, states only cover half of the operational costs of their SNAP program, with the rest being paid by the federal government.
In the 2024 fiscal year, the total state and federal administrative costs reached $6.6 billion.
The federal government will continue to fully fund SNAP benefits, with the program’s total expenditures in 2024 reaching approximately $100 billion.
From 2027 onwards, states will face financial penalties for the first time in the program’s history if they have a high benefit error rate.
States with an error rate above 6% in the 2026 fiscal year will be required to pay fines ranging from 5% to 15% of the benefits issued, starting in October 2027.
Based on the error rates from the 2024 fiscal year, this provision will apply to 40 states and the District of Columbia.
Previously, errors below $56 per household were overlooked. However, starting in the 2026 fiscal year (beginning on October 1), every dollar of error will be factored into the state’s penalty rate calculations.
Some SNAP reforms stemming from the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” have already taken effect.
Starting in October, the maximum benefit for a four-person household in the contiguous United States has been raised from $975 to $994.
The housing deduction – used to offset countable income when determining SNAP eligibility – has also increased from $712 to $744.
There have been changes in community participation requirements as well. Individuals aged 18 to 64 (previously capped at 54) without dependents must work, volunteer, or undergo job training for a minimum of 80 hours per month to continue receiving benefits for more than three months in any 36-month period.
Additionally, refugees, asylum seekers, parolees, and individuals subject to deferred deportation orders will generally no longer be eligible to receive SNAP benefits. This provision was originally set to take effect in November 2025 but was delayed to April 9, 2026, by a federal judge in Oregon.