INDIANA- Starting Jan. 1, 2026, SNAP recipients can no longer use benefits to buy sugary drinks or candy. “Smart SNAP” is part of Governor Mike Braun’s “Make Indiana Healthy Again” campaign. The state got a waiver from the USDA to implement the changes.
The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) launched the program. FSSA Secretary Mitch Roob spoke with ABC57’s Jordan Tolbert on Monday, just days before the new rules take effect on Thursday.
“Quite frankly, Indiana is not as healthy as we'd like it to be, and one of the reasons is because people's diets, frankly, including my own, is not what we wouldn't we would wish it to be, so Secretary Kennedy and Governor Braun in in April of this year, began something called ‘Make Indiana Healthy Again,’ and part of that program is to say sugary drinks and candy will no longer be allowed to be purchased using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP,” said Roob.
FSSA data says 66 percent of adult residents are overweight or obese, with 44 percent eating fruit less than once each day and 27 percent for vegetables.
Roob says SNAP is not a new program, but it is important to revisit it occasionally.
“We believe that it's time for sugary drinks and candy to join with alcohol and tobacco in terms of unhealthy substances that should not continue to be available using a government benefit,” said Roob.
Roob is hopeful that store owners will recognize that they should provide healthier options for SNAP recipients.
“Regardless of the number of people who are purchasing sugary drinks and candy, we still think it's a bad idea and if it were 1 percent, 10 percent, or 30 percent, we would still be instituting this program,” said Roob.
Here are the definitions of candy and sugary drinks, according to FSSA’s Smart SNAP website:
Candy: A preparation of sugar, honey, or other natural or artificial sweeteners in combination with chocolate, fruits, nuts, or other ingredients or flavorings in the form of bars, drops, or pieces. The term does not include any preparation requiring refrigeration.
Sugary drinks: Non-alcoholic beverages that contain natural or artificial sweeteners. The term does not include beverages that contain milk or milk products, soy, rice, or similar milk substitutes, or are exclusively naturally sweetened using natural vegetable and/or fruit juice.
David Matthews, owner of East Race Market in South Bend, plans to put a flyer at the front of the store for cashiers that guides them on what can or can’t be purchased with SNAP.
“Now our cashiers just have to know that if it's candy or a sugary drink, and what that definition is to make sure that it's excluded. So it's a little bit more work. It's not onerous or anything. But yeah, so we'll start that on Thursday,” said Matthews.
Matthews thinks the idea of having fewer sugary drinks is better for everyone.
“So if this works, great. I don't know that it actually changes people's behavior, so I don't know that it's— if it's worth the squeeze, but you know, we'll, comply with the law, and we'll do what we're told,” said Matthews.
Gina Plata-Nino is the director of SNAP for the Food Research and Action Center.
She says SNAP funds are given to individuals, and then those funds go into the local economy. Here’s FRAC’s Fact Sheet on SNAP impacts in Indiana.
Plata-Nino says SNAP is a delicate balance between retailers and recipients. She thinks that SNAP restrictions, like Smart SNAP in Indiana, could be burdensome to retailers. Plata-Nino also says if stores choose not to participate in SNAP, that impacts EBT users and local economies.
“We agree that people should have access to the most nutritious food available. The issue is cost, Right? When you ask a retailer to redo their coding system, to put in more information and to treat individuals differently than everyone else, it creates stigma; it creates expenses for them,” said Plata-Nino