Arkansas says SNAP restrictions on candy and soda will take effect July 1 despite court rulings
June 29, 2026 | Rose Bud, White County, Arkansas
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Arkansas plans to begin enforcing new limits on purchases of candy and soft drinks with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits on July 1, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, and the state will launch an Arkansas Snap Companion app to help beneficiaries identify eligible products.
“The government is not dictating what you can and cannot buy with your own money,” Sanders said, according to a news report. “We’re simply saying the taxpayer is not going to subsidize candy and soft drinks and is instead going to point food stamp recipients toward healthier, more nutritious foods.”
Sanders made the remarks as part of a broader push the report called “Water Make America Healthy Again,” saying the effort is intended to steer benefit spending toward healthier choices and to reduce costs some officials associate with diet-related health care. The state said the Arkansas Snap Companion app can scan store bar codes and indicate whether an item is covered by SNAP benefits.
The move comes after federal judges in other states blocked similar restrictions. The report said a federal judge in one of those cases found that the government was ignoring the definition of food as written in the law Congress passed authorizing the SNAP program, and that courts have held federal waivers cannot be used to limit the use of benefits. The state, the report added, asserts that Arkansas’s waiver language allows the state to amend what it considers ineligible foods for purchase under SNAP.
The announcement did not include details in the report about how the state will implement enforcement at stores, what penalties (if any) would apply, or how the app will be distributed to SNAP users. The report said the legal situation remains unsettled because courts have blocked comparable policies elsewhere; the governor’s office says Arkansas will proceed under its waiver interpretation.
The new restrictions are scheduled to take effect July 1; the report said some observers were confused about whether a court ruling in other states would automatically block the Arkansas plan. The state’s interpretation of the waiver and how federal courts will view it remain key unanswered questions.
“The government is not dictating what you can and cannot buy with your own money,” Sanders said, according to a news report. “We’re simply saying the taxpayer is not going to subsidize candy and soft drinks and is instead going to point food stamp recipients toward healthier, more nutritious foods.”
Sanders made the remarks as part of a broader push the report called “Water Make America Healthy Again,” saying the effort is intended to steer benefit spending toward healthier choices and to reduce costs some officials associate with diet-related health care. The state said the Arkansas Snap Companion app can scan store bar codes and indicate whether an item is covered by SNAP benefits.
The move comes after federal judges in other states blocked similar restrictions. The report said a federal judge in one of those cases found that the government was ignoring the definition of food as written in the law Congress passed authorizing the SNAP program, and that courts have held federal waivers cannot be used to limit the use of benefits. The state, the report added, asserts that Arkansas’s waiver language allows the state to amend what it considers ineligible foods for purchase under SNAP.
The announcement did not include details in the report about how the state will implement enforcement at stores, what penalties (if any) would apply, or how the app will be distributed to SNAP users. The report said the legal situation remains unsettled because courts have blocked comparable policies elsewhere; the governor’s office says Arkansas will proceed under its waiver interpretation.
The new restrictions are scheduled to take effect July 1; the report said some observers were confused about whether a court ruling in other states would automatically block the Arkansas plan. The state’s interpretation of the waiver and how federal courts will view it remain key unanswered questions.
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