DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds’ waiver to restrict the list of food eligible to be purchased under the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was approved.

Reynolds and Iowa Health and Human Services submitted the waiver requesting that certain items like candy, soda, and even certain granola bars be ineligible to obtain with SNAP benefits to the United States Department of Agriculture last week. On Thursday, Reynolds’ office announced that USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins approved the waiver.

According to the governor’s office, the waiver allows SNAP recipients to purchase foods that are non-taxable under Iowa law. That means recipients would not be able to purchase food subject to sales tax, which includes things like candy, ready-to-eat kettle corn or caramel corn, marshmallows, soda, and fruit juices that contain less than 50% fruit or vegetable juice.

Reynolds said the waiver’s approval will help promote healthy eating in the state.

“Soaring obesity rates have brought our nation and state to a crossroads,” Reynolds said in a statement. “To promote healthy eating and protect future generations from disease — and to ensure SNAP fulfills its core function — we need a change. Thank you to Secretary Rollins and her team for helping make that change happen.”

However, critics of the waiver like the Iowa Hunger Coalition said that the restriction of foods eligible under SNAP doesn’t address the issue of food insecurity.

“I don’t think this is really the right way to get low income Iowans eating healthier,” Luke Elzinga, chair of IHC and Policy and Advocacy Manager at DMARC, told WHO 13 last week. “We need to be looking at solutions that will increase the affordability and accessibility of fresh fruits and vegetables and other healthy foods for low income Iowans. This [the waiver] just really sends the message that the state of Iowa doesn’t trust low-income families to make the best food choices for their family. We don’t think this ban will be effective, and we’d really like to see some solutions and evidence-based proven interventions like Double Up Food Bucks. The governor actually even mentioned that in her waiver request. So again, we think there are proven solutions to increase healthy eating, but this is not one.”

Iowa is now the second state to have a waiver request to limit eligible foods under SNAP approved by the USDA. On Monday, Rollins approved Nebraska’s request to ban soda and energy drinks.

“President Trump has given our nation a once in a generation opportunity to change the health trajectory for our entire country,” Rollins said on Thursday. “On my first day as secretary, I sent a call to states to innovate, and Governor Kim Reynolds stepped up to take action. I look forward to signing even more waivers in the days ahead as we continue to restore the health of our country.”

So far, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, West Virginia, and Colorado are all considering implementing similar changes to SNAP.

Iowa’s waiver will take effect on January 1, 2026.

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