SALT LAKE CITY — U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have approved Utah's request to ban the purchase of soda pop with SNAP funds.
The waivers, sought by the state of Utah after a bill was passed in the legislature, were granted late Tuesday. Effective 2026, Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit funds will be prohibited from purchasing soft drinks.
The proposed ban was something happily accepted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers SNAP. The agency also approved them for Idaho and Arkansas.
"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. Each waiver submitted by the states and signed is yet another step closer to fulfilling President Trump’s promise to Make America Healthy Again,” Secretary Rollins said in a statement.
Rep. Kristen Chevrier, R-Highland, sponsored the bill seeking the waiver. At the time, she also sought to ban candy purchases with SNAP funds (that was stripped out as the bill made its way through the Utah State Legislature). Rep. Chevrier argued it would prod people seeking food assistance to make healthier choices. Critics of the bill at the time argued that while they supported the idea of healthier choices, the legislation went too far in dictating what people ought to be consuming.
"Utah led the nation on SNAP amendments and removal of synthetic food dyes from school prepared foods. I was honored to sponsor both bills," Rep. Chevrier said in a statement Wednesday. "The decision to remove soda from SNAP funding is supported by a recently released BYU study indicating that drinking sugar may be worse than eating it. Taxpayers should not be subsidizing consumption of harmful substances, and then footing the bill for resulting health issues down the road. This was the right move for Utah and for the nation."
