6/24/26: Tulsa, OK — A federal judge blocked five state SNAP purchasing restriction pilots that banned SNAP users from purchasing soda and candy with their benefits. At this time, the ruling does not impact SNAP purchasing rules in Oklahoma. The ruling raises questions about the future of similar policies across the country.
The federal ruling centers on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s authority to approve state requests that restrict certain food purchases through SNAP. While the most recent ruling applies only to Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee, and West Virginia, the decision creates the possibility that other states’ approved pilots could be reevaluated, including Oklahoma’s. Oklahoma SNAP participants should not expect any immediate changes to their benefits or the foods currently eligible for purchase through the program.
“Hunger Free Oklahoma (HFO) is closely monitoring developments and reviewing what this ruling could mean for SNAP policy in Oklahoma and nationwide,” said Chris Bernard, President and CEO of Hunger Free Oklahoma. “HFO supports improving health outcomes for Oklahomans; however, singling out low-income families for restrictions that don’t apply to anyone else is both unfair and ineffective if the goal is to improve public health.”
Hunger Free Oklahoma remains committed to engaging with state and federal leadership on strategic investments in health and nutrition, such as scaling evidence-backed healthy food purchasing incentives which increase fruit and vegetable consumption without adding barriers to food access.
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Hunger Free Oklahoma is an anti-hunger organization dedicated to improving food access for all Oklahomans. HFO leverages the power of collaboration to solve hunger in Oklahoma by improving systems, policies, and practices. Learn more at HungerFreeOK.org.