Court Allows Food Stamp Purchases of Candy and Sugary Drinks
WHO:
ABC News - U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., SNAP beneficiaries in Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
IJR - U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, referred to as an "Obama-appointed" judge.
WHAT:
ABC News - The ruling halts a major attempt to reshape SNAP purchasing rules aimed at tackling the rise in diet-related disease in the U.S.
ABC News - The Agriculture Department has given 23 states permission to implement restrictions on SNAP purchases, with some restrictions already implemented and others queued to take effect in the coming months and years.
ABC News - The ruling affects restrictions in place or planned for the federally funded and state-run Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in 23 states.
ABC News - A judge ruled that the U.S. government cannot stop SNAP beneficiaries from using their benefits to buy candy and sugary drinks.
ABC News - The ruling affects restrictions in place or planned for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in 23 states.
ABC News - The Agriculture Department has given 23 states permission to implement restrictions on SNAP purchases.
ABC News - The ruling stated that SNAP benefits can be used for “any food or food product for home consumption except alcoholic beverages, tobacco, hot foods or hot food products ready for immediate consumption.”
ABC News - The case is among numerous challenges to Trump administration policies regarding SNAP.
WHERE:
ABC News - The ruling was made in Washington, D.C.
ABC News - The restrictions were planned for 23 states, including Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
WHEN:
ABC News - The ruling was made on a Monday, but no specific date is provided.
ABC News - Some restrictions have already been implemented, while others are queued to take effect in the coming months and years.
WHY:
ABC News - Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have encouraged states to limit what the food aid can be used to buy as part of the “Make America Healthy Again” campaign.
ABC News - The government and states aimed to improve the health of SNAP households by encouraging healthier food choices.
ABC News - Officials argue that soda and candy contribute to obesity, diabetes, and chronic disease epidemics.
HOW:
ABC News - The main legal misstep in restricting what SNAP benefits could buy came because it ran contrary to Congress's definition of “food.”
ABC News - The Agriculture Department allowed states to request permission to restrict SNAP purchases, but the judge ruled that these requests used alternate definitions of “food” that contradicted Congress's definition.
(UPDATED June 23, 2026 17:37 UTC)
A recent ruling has halted a significant effort to change the purchasing rules for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which aimed to address the growing issue of diet-related diseases in the U.S. The Agriculture Department had previously authorized 23 states to implement various restrictions on SNAP purchases, with some already in effect and others set to begin in the near future. This legal setback arose because the proposed restrictions conflicted with Congress's established definition of what constitutes "food."
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(UPDATED June 23, 2026 15:58 UTC)
A U.S. District Judge in Washington, D.C., ruled that the government cannot prevent SNAP beneficiaries from using their benefits to purchase candy and sugary drinks, impacting restrictions planned for 23 states, including Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee, and West Virginia. The judge determined that SNAP benefits can be used for any food product for home consumption, except for alcoholic beverages, tobacco, and hot foods ready for immediate consumption, rejecting the Agriculture Department's alternate definitions of "food." This case is part of ongoing challenges to policies from the Trump administration aimed at promoting healthier food choices among SNAP households, as officials argue that sugary products contribute to serious health issues like obesity and diabetes.