North Dakota will soon prevent SNAP recipients from using their benefits to buy candy, sugary drinks, and energy drinks, placing the state among a growing list of 18 states restricting these purchases, a move supporters say will help address chronic health issues but raises questions about government overreach.
Starting September 1, North Dakota residents who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will face new rules limiting what they can buy with those benefits. Under the reported changes, commonly purchased snack foods, including chocolate bars, licorice, candy, and drinks with high sugar or caffeine, will be off-limits when shopping with SNAP funds. The policy is part of a broader shift seen in several states, as both state and federal officials try to steer low-income Americans toward what they consider healthier food choices.
The list of restricted items is specific. SNAP users in North Dakota will not be able to purchase any sweetened drink containing five grams or more of added sugar, any drink with artificial sweeteners, or beverages with less than 50% fruit or vegetable juice. High-caffeine energy drinks, defined as those with 65 milligrams or more of caffeine per eight ounces, are also banned. The rules even cover non-bakery items dipped in chocolate, as well as yogurt or other products with candy coatings. However, items like chocolate chips sold for baking, cereal bars, and drinks with more than 50% real juice will remain eligible for SNAP purchase. These details come from The Sun’s reporting on the rollout of these restrictions.
North Dakota is not acting alone. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a total of 18 states are set to restrict purchases of selected foods and drinks with SNAP benefits by 2026. The list includes Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia, along with North Dakota. The restrictions vary by state but generally aim at items labeled as “junk food”, soda, candy, desserts, and energy drinks, with some differences in what qualifies for a ban.
This policy wave is rooted in a larger effort to address America's rising rates of chronic health conditions linked to diet. As Newsmax reports, the recent expansion brings six more states, including North Dakota, into the fold, following 12 others that had already adopted similar SNAP restrictions. The Trump administration set the direction, encouraging states to apply for waivers that let them block SNAP funds from being used on soda, candy, energy drinks, and desserts. In exchange, participating states may receive more federal support through SNAP. Brooke Rollins, Agriculture Secretary, framed the policy as an overdue response to America's health crisis, saying, “We all know we're at the point where we must do something to correct the chronic health problems that Americans face.”
The scope of these programs is significant. SNAP serves around 42 million people per month, about 12% of the U.S. population. With new states joining, these restrictions will soon touch millions of Americans’ grocery purchases. But the rules are not one-size-fits-all. Each state can define which foods and drinks are prohibited, leading to a patchwork of policies nationwide. For example, Arkansas targets several types of sugary drinks and candy, while West Virginia bans soda purchases outright.
The expansion of SNAP purchase restrictions is being promoted as part of the “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, with state leaders, including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, joining Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins at the announcement of the latest pledge. As the Washington Examiner details, states that join receive added SNAP funding and the power to decide which products to restrict through USDA waivers. Rollins argued the expansion would let “more states to put real nutrition back in SNAP and ensure taxpayer dollars support healthy choices for America’s families.”
Still, there are open questions. The details of North Dakota’s rollout, including which agency is in charge, the legal authority for the new rules, and whether any exceptions will be made, have not been spelled out in the reports. The precise year the rules take effect, though reported as September 1, is not confirmed. Nor is it clear how individual products will be judged under the new sugar, sweetener, and caffeine thresholds, or whether enforcement will be consistent across the state.
As more states clamp down on the types of food and drink that SNAP recipients can buy, the debate over government’s role in personal choices is set to continue. Reform advocates say these rules help curb taxpayer spending on products they see as unhealthy, and could reduce health problems over time. Critics, meanwhile, question whether bureaucrats should second-guess what struggling families put in their shopping carts. But with 18 states now moving to implement these rules, the federal government is sending a clear signal: SNAP dollars are for groceries, not for junk food.
When government sets the menu for millions of Americans, taxpayers should keep a close eye on who decides what counts as “healthy”, and who pays the price when bureaucratic rules miss the mark.
