Characteristics of state waivers to establish nutritional restrictions in the supplemental nutrition assistance...

States have previously requested permission from the US Department of Agricultureto implement food item restrictions within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), though these proposals were previously rejected. The current administration is encouraging states to submit waivers for restriction and has approved 12 states to restrict SNAP starting in January 2026.

This study analyzed states' waiver proposals and approval letters to describe the landscape of forthcoming restrictions, their justifications and proposed evaluations. Framework analysis was used to identify common terms and themes between states.

Soda restrictions were common across all approved waiver states, with 8 states also implementing some form of restriction on candy. As justification for restriction, states cited the "intended purpose of SNAP" for nutrition (n = 9), Medicaid and healthcare costs (n = 8), promoting healthy eating (n = 8), stewardship of taxpayer dollars (n = 7) and high SNAP spending on unhealthy goods (n = 6). Evaluations using mixed-methods and pre-post analyses were most common (n = 7), with nearly all states proposing the use of retailer data and participant surveys. Key outcomes included purchasing patterns (n = 10), dietary patterns (n = 5) and health or disease outcomes (n = 5).

Substantial variation in restrictions and evaluation approaches warrants attention by policymakers and researchers.