 food-choice waivers, allowing them to limit the use of benefits on certain processed foods and beverages.){kind=link}
Six additional states have received approval for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food-choice waivers, allowing them to limit the use of benefits on certain processed foods and beverages. Hawai‘i, Missouri, North Dakota, South Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee will implement the changes starting in 2026.
Expanding the Make America Healthy Again Initiative
The approvals bring the total number of states participating in SNAP food-choice waivers under the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative to 18. These waivers give states authority to redefine what SNAP benefits can be used for at grocery stores, focusing on healthier options.
Officials Highlight Health Benefits
“President Trump has made it clear: we are restoring SNAP to its true purpose — nutrition,” said Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins. “With these new waivers, we are empowering states to lead, protecting our children from the dangers of highly processed foods, and moving one step closer to the President’s promise to Make America Healthy Again.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. praised the participating governors, saying they “are leading the charge on SNAP reform to restore the health of Americans — especially our kids.” He added, “We cannot continue a system that forces taxpayers to fund programs that make people sick and then pay a second time to treat the illnesses those very programs help create.”
Previous Waivers and Future Plans
Earlier this year, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, and Utah received similar waivers. In August, six more states — Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Colorado, Florida, and West Virginia — announced restrictions on “junk food” purchases with SNAP funds.
Rollins also introduced the “Laboratories of Innovation” initiative, encouraging states to implement “state-driven solutions to strengthen federal nutrition programs and protect taxpayer resources.”
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