USDA Approves Sanders' Waiver Banning Junk Food From Food Stamps Program

Agriculture Secretary Rollins Holds Make America Healthy Again Event With HHS Secretary Kennedy

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins (C), accompanied by (L-R) Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, and Rep. Jim Baird (R-IN), signs one of three new SNAP food choice waivers for the states of Idaho, Utah, and Arkansas in her office at the United States Department of Agriculture Whitten Building on June 10, 2025 in Washington, DC. Photo: Andrew Harnik / Getty Images News / Getty Images

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is signing off on Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders' waiver to ban junk food from the state's food stamps program. USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins signed the waiver yesterday after Sanders submitted it in April. Officials say about 23% of food stamp spending now goes toward soft drinks, unhealthy snacks, candy, and desserts. Studies have shown that overconsumption of these types of foods and drink is linked to chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. One-third of Arkansans have diabetes or pre-diabetes.

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