Six more states have joined the growing list across the country approved for Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program food-choice waivers that will prevent benefits from being used on certain processed foods and drinks.
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the approval for Hawai’i, Missouri, North Dakota, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee to “amend the statutory definition of ‘food for purchase'” under the federal program in 2026.
This brings the list of states approved for SNAP food-choice waivers under the Make America Healthy Again initiative up to 18.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is joined by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins during the announcement of a $700 million pilot program to support regenerative agriculture at the Department of Agriculture, Dec. 10, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
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These waivers allow states to amend what the food assistance benefits — colloquially referred to as food stamps — can be used for at the grocery store by beneficiaries.
“President Trump has made it clear: we are restoring SNAP to its true purpose — nutrition. Under the MAHA initiative, we are taking bold, historic steps to reverse the chronic diseases epidemic that has taken root in this country for far too long,” Rollins said in the announcement.
“America’s governors are answering that call with courage and innovation, offering solutions that honor the generosity of the taxpayer while helping families live longer, healthier lives. 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,” Rollins added.
RFK Jr. thanked the governors of the 18 states who he said “are leading the charge on SNAP reform to restore the health of Americans — especially our kids.”
Shelves of crackers, cookies, and candy stand inside a Publix Super Markets Inc. grocery store in Knoxville, Tenn., March 5, 2014.
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“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,” he said.
In August, Rollins and Health and RFK Jr. announced restrictions on the purchase of so-called “junk food” with SNAP funds in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Colorado, Florida and West Virginia starting in 2026.
Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska and Utah were granted waivers for SNAP reform earlier this year.
On her first day in office, Rollins announced a “Laboratories of Innovation” initiative encouraging governors to put forth “state-driven solutions to strengthen federal nutrition programs and protect taxpayer resources,” the USDA stated.
Source: abc news
