A federal judge blocked SNAP purchase restrictions on soda, energy drinks, and candy in five states on June 23, 2026 — including Tennessee, where a ban was scheduled to take effect July 31. If you’re a SNAP recipient in Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee, or West Virginia, those specific restrictions are currently on hold, not in effect.
What the Restrictions Would Have Done
USDA had approved waivers letting five states bar SNAP recipients from using benefits to buy certain items — specifically, processed foods and drinks where sugar or high fructose corn syrup was listed as the first ingredient on the label. That standard would have covered most soda, many candies, and a range of sugary processed foods, while leaving groceries with sugar further down the ingredient list unaffected.
Why the Judge Blocked Them
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled that USDA had relied on the wrong section of federal law when approving these pilot waivers. Her reasoning was specific: the legal provision USDA used doesn’t cover projects aimed at improving SNAP recipients’ health, nutrition, and obesity outcomes — which is what these food-restriction pilots were designed to do. The judge wrote that through these waivers, the agency effectively tried to "waive not just a mere administrative or technical obstacle, but the very definition of ‘food’ as it was laid down by Congress" — meaning USDA used the wrong legal tool to redefine what counts as an eligible SNAP purchase, not that the health goal itself was necessarily improper.
What This Means If You’re on SNAP in an Affected State
In Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee, and West Virginia, you can currently buy soda, candy, and energy drinks with SNAP benefits as normal — the restrictions these states had planned are blocked, at least for now. Tennessee’s version specifically had been set to start July 31, 2026, and this ruling stops that from happening as scheduled.
This is a temporary block, not a permanent repeal. The ruling pauses these five states’ specific waivers; it doesn’t strike down the underlying idea permanently, and it could be appealed or revisited.
This Doesn’t Affect Every State’s Restrictions
USDA had approved similar SNAP purchase waivers in 23 states total, not just the five covered by this ruling. Restrictions in other approved states remain in effect unless USDA voluntarily withdraws them or a separate court ruling invalidates them too. If you’re on SNAP in a state other than the five named in this ruling, check your own state’s current rules directly rather than assuming this decision applies to you — a similar restriction in another state isn’t automatically blocked just because these five were.
Why This Keeps Changing State by State
SNAP purchase restrictions have moved through the legal system unevenly because each state’s waiver was approved and is being challenged somewhat independently, even though the underlying legal theory USDA used was largely the same across states. That’s why a single ruling can block several states at once while leaving others technically unaffected until their own waiver is separately challenged.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I still buy soda and candy with SNAP in Tennessee right now?
Yes, based on this ruling — the restriction that was scheduled for July 31, 2026 is currently blocked.
Does this ruling apply to all states with SNAP food restrictions?
No. It specifically covers Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee, and West Virginia. USDA approved similar waivers in 23 states total, and restrictions elsewhere remain in effect unless separately blocked.
Is this decision final?
It’s a ruling that blocks the restrictions for now; it can potentially be appealed, so treat this as the current status rather than a permanently settled outcome.
Why did the judge block it — was it about the health goal itself?
No, the ruling turned on USDA using the wrong section of federal law to approve the waivers, not a finding that reducing SNAP purchases of sugary items is improper as a goal.