By Shirleen Guerra | The Center Square
(The Center Square) – Virginia won approval this week to try out new SNAP rules that block soda and sweetened energy drinks from being purchased with benefits.
The two-year pilot starts April 1, 2026, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved the state’s waiver to redefine what counts as an eligible food item.
The change focuses on “sweetened beverages,” which the U.S. Department of Agriculture describes as drinks made with carbonated water and added sugar or artificial sweeteners. That includes soda, soft drinks and most energy drinks.
Virginia’s waiver creates a statewide demonstration project to study how removing sugary drinks from SNAP purchases affects food spending and health outcomes. The approval letter says the commonwealth must train retailers, update checkout systems, and notify SNAP households before the rollout. The agency said the pilot will apply to all SNAP households in Virginia with no option to opt out.
The waiver also makes clear this is not a blanket ban on every drink with sugar.
Items like iced tea, lemonade, juice, chocolate milk, almond milk and nutrition shakes are still allowed. Sports and electrolyte drinks remain eligible too. The focus is specifically on soda and sweetened energy drinks, not every beverage with sweetness.
USDA approved six new waivers at the same time. The states are Hawaii, Missouri, North Dakota, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee, and the approvals are linked to Secretary Brooke Rollins’ push to let states try out their own solutions to improve nutrition programs and be more careful with taxpayer money.
When combined with earlier approvals in Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska and Utah, a total of 12 states are now participating in federal pilots to test restrictions on certain SNAP purchases.
In Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee publicly spoke out in support of the decision on X, calling the waivers “responsible solutions that strengthen families and improve health outcomes, will have a lasting impact on Tennesseans for generations to come.”
Over 800,000 Virginians were enrolled in SNAP as of Sept. 2025, according to USDA participation data. USDA said the commonwealth must notify SNAP households and train retailers ahead of the April 2026 rollout.
Once the pilot launches, Virginia will submit quarterly evaluation reports to USDA. Those reports must outline how the rollout is working, any challenges the state is seeing, and updates on retailer training and household notifications throughout the two-year pilot.
Youngkin also thanked Rollins and the Trump administration for supporting Virginia’s effort to modernize SNAP. He said the goal is to “promote healthier eating and empower Virginians to lead healthier lives.”
“We all recognize that better nutrition is a critical step to making Virginia the strongest she’s ever been,” Youngkin said.
