ORLANDO, Fla. — Starting next year, Floridians who receive food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will no longer be able to purchase certain processed foods and drinks.
The new restrictions will prevent nearly three million SNAP recipients in Florida from using their benefits to buy items such as packaged cakes, cookies, soda, candy, and energy drinks.
ABC reported that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the waivers, stating, “For years, SNAP has used taxpayer dollars to fund soda and candy -- products that fuel America’s diabetes and chronic disease epidemics.”
The changes in Florida are part of a broader initiative that includes similar waivers granted to Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Colorado, and West Virginia, which will take effect starting in 2026. Earlier this year, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, and Utah received similar waivers to reform SNAP purchases.
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