The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued a final rule updating stocking requirements for retailers participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP.
Under the new rule, retailers authorized to accept SNAP benefits must carry seven varieties of items across four staple food categories: proteins, grains, dairy products, and fruits and vegetables.
According to the USDA, the changes are intended to increase access to nutritious foods for SNAP participants and strengthen accountability for retailers participating in the program.
The updated standards more than double the current variety requirements, increase perishable food requirements, emphasize whole foods and eliminate loopholes that previously allowed some snack foods to count toward staple food requirements.
Since the start of President Donald Trump’s administration, the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service has taken action against nearly 3,200 retailers for failing to meet or maintain existing stocking standards. Violations can result in disqualification from accepting SNAP benefits.
“To turn the tide on our nation’s health crisis, we need to ensure our nutrition assistance programs emphasize real food first, and that’s exactly what these updates to SNAP retailer requirements will do,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said.
Rollins said SNAP-authorized retailers accept more than $90 billion annually in taxpayer-funded benefits.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also praised the changes.
“This rule puts real food back at the center of SNAP,” Kennedy said. “It demands more from retailers and delivers better options for the families who depend on this program.”
Federal officials said the changes are scheduled to take effect in fall 2026, with additional guidance for retailers expected in the coming weeks.
