Nebraska will ban state SNAP recipients from purchasing soda and energy drinks

About 155,000 people in Nebraska – or about 8% of the state's population – get benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the federal program that helps people with low incomes pay for food.

The benefits can be used to buy a variety of groceries, including fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy and breads – even snack foods and non-alcoholic drinks.   

Nebraska, though, is the first state to receive a federal waiver that will ban recipients from using their benefits to purchase soda or energy drinks.

“There’s absolutely zero reason for taxpayers to be subsidizing purchases of soda and energy drinks," Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, a Republican, said in a statement. "SNAP is about helping families in need get healthy food into their diets, but there’s nothing nutritious about the junk we’re removing with today’s waiver."

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins visited Nebraska on May 19 and signed what a news release from Pillen's office called a "first-in-the-nation waiver" to change the definition of food for purchase through the program to exclude soda and energy drinks.

"Effective January 1, 2026, taxpayers will no longer be subsidizing the purchase of soda or energy drinks in the state of Nebraska," the news release says.

In April, Pillen signed a letter notifying Rollins that the state intended to pursue the waiver, which, he wrote at the time, is meant to improve the health of Nebraska's families and "reduce the prevalence of chronic disease."

Have any other states considered similar restrictions on SNAP purchases?

Several other states are considering similar bans on soda and energy drinks, including Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Texas, Utah and West Virginia.

How much money do recipients in Nebraska receive from SNAP?

Nebraska recipients received $332.3 million in SNAP benefits in 2024, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. That's an average of $179 a month for participating households, or about $5.87 a day for each household member. 

Are there other restrictions on SNAP purchases?

The Agriculture Department says SNAP benefits can't be used to purchase:

• Beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes or tobacco
• Vitamins, medicine or supplements
• Live animals, except shellfish and animals slaughtered before pick-up from the store
• Foods that are hot at the point of sale
• Pet food, cleaning supplies, paper products, cosmetics or hygiene items.