Arkansas approved for soft drink SNAP waiver

U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Tuesday (June 10) approved Gov. Sarah Sanders’ waiver to ban soft drinks and candy from Arkansas’ Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also referred to as food stamps.

“This approval sends a clear message – President Trump and his administration are tackling America’s chronic disease epidemic and Arkansas stands with him in that fight,” said Gov. Sanders. “I am incredibly grateful for Secretary Rollins’ quick approval of our waiver. Arkansas leads the nation in getting unhealthy, ultra-processed foods off food stamps and helping our most vulnerable citizens lead healthier lives.”

“The Trump Administration is unified in improving the health of our nation. America’s governors have proudly answered the call to innovate by improving nutrition programs, ensuring better choices while respecting the generosity of the American taxpayer,” said Rollins.

Food stamps are a $119 billion federal program designed to supplement the lowest-income Americans’ nutritional needs. However, about 23% of food stamp spending, $27 billion annually, now goes toward soft drinks, unhealthy snacks, candy, and desserts, the governor’s office stated.

About one third of all Arkansans are either diabetic or pre-diabetic, according to the governor’s office. State officials have not outlined what the potential economic impacts might be from this ban.

Studies have consistently shown the link between the overconsumption of sugary, highly processed foods like soft drinks and candy and chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. One study from Stanford found that just banning sugary drinks from food stamps could prevent obesity in 141,000 kids and Type 2 diabetes in 240,000 adults.

Sanders submitted the waiver on April 25. She announced in December her intention to do so. Nebraska became the first state to get approval for a soft drink and candy ban in May.

Nebraska’s waiver added soda and energy drinks to the list of products that can’t be bought through SNAP. Other products include alcohol, tobacco, hot foods and personal care products.

Merideth Potter, senior vice president of public affairs for the American Beverage Association, said in an interview in April that obesity is a complex problem not driven by soda consumption. Her group represents the nonalcoholic beverage industry and local independent bottlers.

She said calories from beverages have been declining, and the industry has been providing consumers more choices. Four hundred brands on the market and 60% of the industry’s sales have no sugar.

Potter said the waiver requests from Arkansas and other states doesn’t consider the totality of recipients’ diets or other issues affecting low-income Americans such as access to healthier foods and beverages.

“It’s disappointing because SNAP restrictions restricting a segment of the population from a single aisle or two from the grocery store won’t actually improve health, and it won’t save the taxpayer any money,” she said. “We’re not reforming the program. We’re not cutting the program. You’re just saying what certain people can buy with their SNAP dollars, and that’s not a real solution.”

SNAP is a federally funded program largely administered by the states. The maximum allotment for a family of four in the 48 states and Washington, D.C., is $975 in fiscal year 2025.

The federal government will spend about $100.2 billion on SNAP in fiscal year 2025, according to the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri. Rollins said April 15 that the program’s largest spend is on soda. More than 100,000 residents in Arkansas receive SNAP benefits.