The Trump administration has approved Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt's request to limit what residents can buy with food stamps.
Under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Oklahomans who receive benefits will be prohibited from using their benefits to purchase candy and soft drinks. The rule will go into effect in January 2026.
SNAP benefits, which are informally known as food stamps, are given to individuals and families who meet work and income requirements. They can only be awarded to U.S. citizens or those inside the United States legally.
Oklahoma's request says "candy" includes but is not limited to chocolate bars, hard candies, gummies, caramels, taffy, licorice, mints and chewing gum.
“Soft drink” means any nonalcoholic beverage that contains natural or artificial sweeteners, including soda, pop, cola, energy drinks, sports drinks and flavored water, but excluding beverages that contain milk or milk substitutes, soy, rice or similar dairy alternative ingredients, or that contain more than 50%, by volume, of fruit or vegetable juice.
Why Oklahoma SNAP is banning candy, soda
Stitt submitted the SNAP waiver to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the program nationwide. The waiver lets Oklahoma make its own rules on how the funds are distributed and used.
"It’s common sense — making sure taxpayer dollars aren’t funding the very foods that fuel obesity, diabetes, and chronic disease will pay dividends for generations," Stitt said Aug. 4. "I’m grateful that our waiver is officially approved."
The governor announced the waiver request in June during a visit by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is on his own crusade to improve chronic health outcomes.
"Thank you, Gov. Stitt, for your visionary leadership to Make Oklahoma Healthy Again,” Kennedy said in June. "You’ve led with action — bringing healthy food to public schools and prisons, eliminating fluoride from drinking water and submitting a waiver to remove soda, candy, and other junk food from SNAP. These bold steps are helping protect and restore the health of all Oklahomans."
USDA has quickly approved 12 state-requested waivers that are similar to Oklahoma's. Florida, for example, also will ban energy drinks and prepared desserts from SNAP purchases. Arkansas has targeted "unhealthy drinks" and fruit and vegetable drinks with less than 50% natural juice.
Oklahoma is consistently ranked as one of the least healthy states in the nation. Stitt's request has drawn criticism from medical professionals in the state who say the move fails to invest in primary care or improve access to healthier food options.
“Oklahoma’s health crisis won’t be solved without bold, sustained investment in primary care,” Dr. Rachel Franklin, Oklahoma Academy of Family Physicians president, said in a statement in June. “We need more primary care physicians in our communities, targeted programs that improve health outcomes, and a system that trains and keeps doctors where they’re needed most."
Stitt also has said he wants to remove food products containing artificial food coloring from government-funded food assistance programs.
What can you buy with food stamps?
The federal government already has a list of products that cannot be purchased with their SNAP electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card:
- Beer, wine and liquor
- Cigarettes and tobacco
- Food and drinks containing controlled substances such as cannabis/marijuana and CBD
- Vitamins, medicines and supplements. If an item has a Supplement Facts label, it is considered a supplement and is not eligible for SNAP purchase
- Live animals (except shellfish, fish removed from water and animals slaughtered prior to pickup from the store)
- Foods that are hot at the point of sale
- Any nonfood items such as pet foods, cleaning supplies or hygeine products
SNAP benefits can be used to buy the following:
- Fruits and vegetables
- Meat, poultry and fish
- Dairy products
- Breads and cereals
- Other foods such as snack foods and nonalcoholic beverages
- Seeds and plants, which produce food for the household to eat
Contributing: Alexia Aston, The Oklahoman
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma gets permission to ban 'junk food' from SNAP benefits
