(NEXSTAR) – On May 19, Nebraska became the first state in the country to obtain a waiver from the USDA to ban residents from purchasing sugary drinks with benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). By the end of the week, the USDA had granted similar exemptions for Iowa and Indiana.
Not all waivers were seeking the same restrictions, however. Nebraska’s waiver will effectively prohibit the purchases of soda and energy drinks with SNAP benefits. Iowa’s will ban nearly all “taxable” food items, as defined by Iowa law. And in Illinois, SNAP recipients won’t be able to buy soda or candy under the new restrictions.
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The benefits or consequences of such restrictions have yet to be seen, as they won’t go into effect until Jan. 1, 2026. But governors in a handful of other states have already submitted requests for their own SNAP waivers, with the intention of restricting certain foods or drinks — or, in a few cases, easing restrictions — within their own food-assistance programs.
In April, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) submitted a waiver seeking permission to exclude “soft drinks and candy” from permitted SNAP purchases. Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) also filed for waivers in May, requesting exemptions to ban “soft drinks and candy” and “sweetened drinks and candy,” respectively. And making its way through the Utah state legislature is a bill seeking to restrict soft drink purchases under SNAP…