Utah gets approval to ban soda purchases with SNAP funds
Jun 11, 2025, 7:30 PM | Updated: Jun 13, 2025, 11:48 am
Soda is pictured at a Reams in Sandy on Wednesday, May 18, 2022. (Kristin Murphy/Deseret News)
(Kristin Murphy/Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — The federal government has signed off on Utah banning people from buying soda with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds starting in 2026.
State lawmakers passed a bill earlier this year to ban soda purchases with SNAP funds. However, the bill hinged on the federal government signing off on the waiver since SNAP is a federal program.
On Tuesday, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. both signed off on it, meaning Utah can move forward with the SNAP soda ban.
“We should not force Utahns to eat certain foods, and we are not doing that, but we should also not use tax funds to subsidize choices that don’t have nutritional value,” State Rep. Kristen Chevrier said during the legislative session.
Chevrier sponsored the bill banning SNAP soda purchases.
“We are actively spending conservatively $10 million plus per year in taxpayer funds on soda,” Chevrier said.
SNAP recipients will not be able to buy soda with those funds starting New Year’s Day in 2026.
“As legislators, we must be concerned both about our stewardship over taxpayer funds and our role in encouraging healthy habits,” Chevrier said.
Federal leaders also approved a ban on soda and candy purchases with SNAP funds for recipients in Idaho.
