A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from allowing a handful of states to ban the use of food stamps for the purchase of sugary drinks and candy.
The Monday decision directly references bans in Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee and West Virginia. It does not reference Missouri's initiative, which is similar to the initiatives referenced in the decision.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy has worked closely with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who granted waiver requests by nearly two dozen states to restrict food purchases under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, according to CNN reporting. Not all of the bans have gone into effect.
In December 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved Missouri's request to restrict the use of food stamps for purchasing some junk food items, according to previous reporting.
The program is called Healthy SNAP in Missouri and is set to launch in February 2027, according to the Missouri Department of Social Services.
"The Missouri Department of Social Services is continuing to work on the Healthy SNAP initiative and will closely monitor future federal and legal developments," a Missouri Department of Social Services spokesperson told KOMU 8 News after the federal judge's decision. "Missouri's scheduled effective date for the updated SNAP guidelines is February 15, 2027, and the department will continue to communicate updates to Missourians and retail partners as the planning and implementation phases progress."
The initiative will block the use of SNAP benefits for the purchase of candy, prepared desserts, soda, beverage mixes, juices and punches that are 50% or less natural fruit or vegetable juice, and concentrates intended to be made into drinks that are 50% or less natural fruit or vegetable juice, according to previous reporting.
The initiative stems from an executive order made by Gov. Mike Kehoe signed in September 2025, which directed the Missouri Department of Social Services to submit a waiver to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service to refocus Missouri’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, according to previous reporting.
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in the District of Columbia ruled that the U.S. Department of Agriculture lacked the authority to approve state waivers in pilot projects in Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee and West Virginia, according to CNN reporting.
In these waivers, the states sought to change the federal definition of food to one that restricted certain products, according to CNN reporting. The bans limited the purchase of sugary drinks, such as soda and energy beverages, while some bans also restricted candy. The limits applied to all SNAP recipients, with no exceptions allowed.
