Source link : https://las-vegas-news.com/how-the-new-federal-junk-food-limits-are-specifically-affecting-local-las-vegas-grocery-chains/

Grocery store owners in Las Vegas are facing an unprecedented shift in federal food assistance rules that could reshape their businesses in ways they never anticipated. For decades, stores across Nevada accepted SNAP benefits without worrying much about which specific products customers picked off shelves. Those days are ending fast.

The story begins not in Nevada, though. Beginning in 2026, states with approved waivers will prohibit SNAP recipients from using electronic benefit transfer cards to buy specific categories of foods deemed unhealthy, with the restrictions impacting roughly 14 million people. What started as a policy debate in distant state capitals is now landing at checkout counters in Vegas neighborhoods. Local retailers are scrambling to figure out what comes next.

The Federal Waiver System Reshaping State Policy

The Federal Waiver System Reshaping State Policy (Image Credits: Unsplash)
The Federal Waiver System Reshaping State Policy (Image Credits: Unsplash)

USDA is empowering states with greater flexibility to manage their programs by approving SNAP Food Restriction Waivers that restrict the purchase of non-nutritious items like soda and candy, waivers that are a key step in ensuring that taxpayer dollars provide nutritious options that improve health outcomes within SNAP. The change represents a dramatic departure from how the program operated since its inception.

States including Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia are changing rules about what…

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Author : Matthias Binder

Publish date : 2026-02-13 17:33:00

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