Arkansaud removes “junk food” from SNAP programs
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said taxpayers are doing “supporting poor health” in Arkansas, and announced on Tuesday that junk food is off the table for food stamp recipients. (Credit: Sarah Huckabee Sanders via Facebook)
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced plans to limit the types of food items that can be purchased with food stamps, becoming one of the first governors to seek federal permission from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to ban items such as soda and candies.
At a press conference at the Arkansas State Capitol on Tuesday, Sanders said her administration had filed a waiver request with the USDA.
“Now you can use food stamps to buy soft drinks and candy bars from gas stations, but you can’t buy Arkansas-grown hot rotisserie chicken from a grocery store,” Sanders said. “That’s the definition of crazy.”
US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins praised Sanders’ move in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“Governor Sanders faces childhood illnesses head-on and starts with what their families consume,” Rollins said. “Today’s announcement of the exemption is welcome, so I look forward to moving the approval process quickly. I encourage more states across the country to follow the bold leads of states like Arkansas to make America healthy again.”
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US Secretary of Agriculture Brook Rollins, left, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks outside the governor’s mansion in Little Rock, Ark, on Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP image)
The exemption request is part of the Trump administration’s “Re-Our Health in America” or Maha’s agenda, seeking to address chronic illness and healthcare costs by reforming the federal nutrition program.
“We’ve finally got a president, along with Secretary Rollins, focused on lasers in solving the American chronic disease epidemic,” Sanders said. “Food stamp reform is a great place to get started.”
Trump’s food and health policies are in the spotlight in his second administration, with a shift towards a state-driven solution focusing on prevention rather than treatment. The Mahini initiative, led in part by Rollins and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., appeared on Tuesday in the announcement of similar SNAP reforms in Indiana.
Speaking in Arkansas, Rollins praised the state’s leadership.
“What we’re doing here today is to confirm the value of federalism in all aspects of governance,” she said. “Federal officials can’t understand the needs of Arkansas families better than their own governor.”
Rollins added that snap reform is an important issue for Trump.
“This is one of the things he campaigned for, and this is what the American people voted for,” she said.
Sanders said the program, originally designed to combat hunger, is twisted by outdated regulations and evil incentives.
“A third of our state has diabetes or is prediabetic,” she said. “We pay for it on the front end and the back end.”
The exemption will affect nearly 350,000 Arkansas residents registered with SNAP and will come into effect in July 2026 if approved.
Sanders said 23% of snap spending, or $27 billion per year, is used for soft drinks, candies and desserts, but the state spends $300 million per year dealing with chronic illnesses through Medicaid.
Whole milk should be back in school, experts said: “Nutrition science has evolved.”
“This is not something to take away,” she said. “It’s just that taxpayers are no longer saying they’re not covering the costs of junk foods like candies and soft drinks.”
Rollins praised Arkansas’ Snap Reform Program as a bold step towards improving public health, calling Sanders “courageous” to deal with childhood illnesses through nutrition.
“We are working to restructure USDA and all taxpayer dollars to all taxpayer dollars for the best and most effective spending,” Rollins said.
Brooke Rollins will be attending a Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee hearing on January 23, 2025, in Washington regarding the appointment of the Secretary of Agriculture. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)
Arkansas Department of Human Services Christy Putnam noted that Snap, which runs the same state agency, also manages Medicaid.
“In one program we subsidized foods that keep people healthy, and in the other we devote important resources to treating the same conditions that are brought about by unhealthy foods,” she said. “This doesn’t make sense.”
Critics, including the Food Research and Action Center, argue that the restrictions are punitive and not supported by the data. Trade groups representing beverage and candy makers have also criticised the move.
As reported by the Associated Press, American beverages accused officials of “choosing to become food police,” but the National Confectionery Association called the plan “Misguided.”
Sanders addressed concerns about food costs and focused on her administration’s work to eliminate the state’s grocery tax.
“I think it’s hard to say you should buy a pack of skittles and say your hunger will be satisfied after that purchase,” she said.
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders will appear on stage on July 16, 2024, on the second day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. (Getty Images)
Rollins emphasized that SNAP’s funding levels will not change. “It just opens up opportunities to advance better and healthier food,” she said.
The Arkansas Waiver Request was officially filed Tuesday and includes a 30-day public comment period. The USDA and the Governor’s office are scheduled to begin coordinating implementation details this week.
“We hope this will be done very quickly,” Sanders said.
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Governor Sanders’ office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
