SNAP Ban on Unhealthy Foods Nears in Texas
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Texas Governor Greg Abbott has formally asked the Trump administration to approve new restrictions on food purchases made with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, a move that could ban the use of SNAP to buy items such as candy and soda.
In a letter on Wednesday addressed to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Abbott requested a waiver from the Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service to "prohibit the purchase of unhealthy, highly processed food" with SNAP benefits.
Why It Matters
Several states are either considering SNAP bans on soda and other items or have already submitted waiver requests to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as part of Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s "Make America Healthy Again" initiative. SNAP supports more than 3 million Texans and over 40 million people across the United States each year.
What to Know
A waiver grants flexibility by modifying specific U.S. Department of Agriculture program rules, enabling states to administer the SNAP program in different ways. Various states currently have SNAP waivers in place, and they were widely implemented during the coronavirus pandemic to enhance access to food benefits.
In his letter, Abbott wrote: "SNAP serves more than 3.2 million Texans each year and provides more than $7 billion in taxpayer funding to support access to food for those in need. SNAP was create to increase access to nutritious food; however, many SNAP purchases are for food with little or no nutritious value."
The governor said Texas should be granted a waiver to "prohibit SNAP benefits from being used to purchase sweetened drinks and candy."
In April, Agriculture Secretary Rollins and Health Secretary Kennedy Jr. published a joint article in USA Today calling on "all governors to submit waivers to help promote access to these critical sources of nutrition, including waivers that can limit what can be purchased with food stamps."
Arkansas and Indiana have both formally requested waivers.
Bottles of Dr. Pepper soda are displayed on a shelf at a grocery store on June 03, 2024 in San Rafael, California.
Bottles of Dr. Pepper soda are displayed on a shelf at a grocery store on June 03, 2024 in San Rafael, California.
Justin Sullivan/GETTY
In Idaho, Governor Brad Little signed a bill in April mandating the state to seek a federal waiver to exclude candy and soda from SNAP-eligible items.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has signed an executive order to ban purchasing soft drinks and candy using SNAP.
In March, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey, a Republican, also submitted a waiver to the federal government to block the use of SNAP benefits to purchase soda as part of new food and nutrition legislation,
Food policy advocates are sharply divided. Supporters argue that the restrictions align with dietary guidelines and could reduce the long-term cost of obesity-related diseases. Critics argue the policy is paternalistic and fails to address the core issue: many low-income communities lack access to healthy, affordable food options.
What People Are Saying
In his letter Abbott said: "Under the Trump administration, for the first time since the program was authorized, states can take steps to eliminate the opportunity to buy junk food with SNAP benefits and assure that taxpayer dollars are used only to purchase healthy, nutritious food. We appreciate your efforts to allow states to implement innovative changes to support our citizens to lead healthy and productive lives."
Abbott's letter was welcomed by State Senator Mayes Middleton, who introduced a bill to the Texas Legislature seeking to restrict when SNAP benefits can be spent on.
On X Middleton shared Abbott's letter, adding: "Thank you @GregAbbott_TX Taxpayer funded soda and junk food turns into taxpayer funded healthcare! Let's put this waiver into law and pass my bill (SB 379) to prohibit using food stamp $ for soda and junk food."
The Make Texas Healthy Again campaign also supported Abbott's move commenting: "Gov. @GregAbbott_TX is right: taxpayer dollars should help families buy real food, not soda and candy. Texas is leading the way to make SNAP about nutrition—not junk."
During a 2024 House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture meeting, Representative Sanford Bishop, a Democrat, commented: "If the other side is going to argue that people using SNAP should be limited to healthier options they need to join us in the 21st century and realize that a healthy diet costs more than the average of $2 per person per meal that SNAP provides."
Marion Nestle, nutrition expert who used to teach at New York University: "Under ordinary circumstances, I would favor a pilot project to take sodas out of SNAP because they are so well documented to be associated with poor health (except in small amounts). Candy makes less sense. Nobody eats that much. But coming from Texas, this looks like just another attack on the safety net for poor Americans. The push to cut SNAP benefits so the rich don't have to pay as much in taxes makes no sense to me."
Professor of food studies Anne C. Bellows from Syracuse University: "I will say that instead of telling SNAP beneficiaries what they can buy, USDA should be slashing its price supports and other benefits to industrial-scale corn, soybean and other commodity and industrial-scale agriculture that produces the bulk of the material, especially sweeteners and highly processed foods, that are addictive and detrimental for public health writ large. Instead, USDA should be supporting small and medium-scale farmers' production of the fruits, vegetables, and whole grain products recommended for public health. With such a shift in support, these smaller and medium scale farmers are the most likely to grow culturally relevant and price competitive foods, with lower transport costs, to the Texas venues SNAP recipients frequent as customers."
What's Next
Texas is awaiting a decision from the USDA on its waiver application.
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