Four states that planned to stop SNAP shoppers from buying soda and other sweets are not enforcing those bans, because a federal judge threw out the approvals behind them. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s table of food restriction waivers shows Colorado, Iowa, Tennessee and West Virginia as court-blocked, and the page was last updated October 13, 2026.
The ruling came June 22, 2026, in Aragon et al. v. Rollins, a case in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. According to USDA’s restriction page, the court vacated the Food and Nutrition Service’s approval of each waiver and barred implementation from going forward. USDA also lists a retailer notice telling stores in Iowa and West Virginia to stop implementing their restrictions.
For a household on SNAP, the answer depends on the row for its state. Shoppers in the four court-blocked states face no purchase restriction under those waivers, and USDA lists no start date for any of them. In the other 19 states on the table, a ban is either already running or scheduled, so anyone using SNAP in those states should find their state’s date and item list below.
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What each of the four blocked bans would have covered
The four states did not plan identical lists. Colorado’s waiver covered soft drinks, and West Virginia’s covered soda. Neither named candy, which is why shoppers there can keep buying soda but were never facing a candy ban on USDA’s table.
Iowa’s was the broadest in the country. USDA’s table says it reached all taxable food items under Iowa Department of Revenue definitions, except food-producing plants and seeds. Tennessee’s covered processed foods and beverages, such as soda, energy drinks and candy. In those two states, the court ruling means candy is back on the purchasable list along with soda.
Where SNAP bans are already running
Eight states have passed their start dates, according to the same table. Item lists differ, so a household moving or shopping across a state line can run into different rules.
- Indiana, January 1, 2026: soft drinks and candy.
- Utah, January 1, 2026: soft drinks.
- Idaho, February 15, 2026: soda and candy.
- Oklahoma, February 15, 2026: soft drinks and candy.
- Louisiana, February 18, 2026: soft drinks, energy drinks and candy.
- Texas, April 1, 2026: sweetened drinks and candy.
- Florida, April 20, 2026: soda, energy drinks, candy and prepared desserts.
- Arkansas, July 1, 2026: soda, fruit and vegetable drinks with under 50 percent natural juice, energy drinks, other unhealthy drinks and candy.
Which bans start next
Four more states are set to begin on November 1, 2026, according to USDA. Montana’s list covers high-sugar beverages, energy drinks, candy and prepared desserts. North Dakota’s covers sweetened beverages, energy drinks and candy. South Carolina’s covers candy, energy drinks, soft drinks and sweetened beverages. Virginia’s covers sweetened beverages.
Seven more are scheduled for later, and the dates stretch into 2028. Nebraska starts December 1, 2026 with soda, soft drinks and energy drinks, and candy is added March 1, 2027. Wyoming follows on February 1, 2027 for sweetened, carbonated beverages. Kansas and Missouri both start February 15, 2027, Kansas for candy and soft drinks and Missouri for candy, prepared desserts and certain unhealthy beverages.
Hawaii and Ohio start April 1, 2027. Hawaii’s waiver covers soft drinks, and Ohio’s covers sugar-sweetened beverages and all fountain drinks. Nevada is last, with candy and sugar-sweetened beverages restricted from February 1, 2028.
What stays open for the four states
USDA’s page lists the court order as the status for Colorado, Iowa, Tennessee and West Virginia, with no new start date. The table is a live federal page, and USDA changes it as waivers are approved, delayed or struck down. Households in those four states are subject to the ordinary SNAP rules until USDA posts something different.
Whether a state seeks a fresh approval is not shown on the table. Shoppers in all 23 states with a waiver listed can check their own row on USDA’s food restriction waiver page before the next date passes.
Where does your household fall on the SNAP soda and candy list?
Purchase rules change by state and by date, and the same household that tracks a November 1 or December 1 start can overlook the dates that keep the benefit itself on the card. A missed recertification or reporting date ends SNAP no matter what the state allows shoppers to buy.
The SNAP & Medicaid Renewal Organizer does not cover the purchase rules themselves. It covers the dates around them, with 51 state packs and a renewal and reporting calendar, and it spells out the SNAP work-rule time limit and who is exempt.
Open your state pack and reporting calendar before the next SNAP date passes →
More Financial Reading
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- 15 Steps to Stop the Scams That Took $7.7 Billion From Seniors
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
