On January 1, 2025, bans on the purchase of certain foods through SNAP will go into effect in five states: Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, and West Virginia.These states are the first of at least 18 to implement such restrictions.The bans will affect approximately 1.4 million people.Utah and West Virginia will ban the purchase of soda and soft drinks.[Nebraska will ban soda and energy drinks, Indiana soft drinks and candy.1 Iowa has the strictest rules, which include tax foods such as soda, candy, and some prepared foods.1 The SNAP program serves 42 million Americans and has a budget of $100 billion.1 Previous requests for similar restrictions have been denied by the USDA because of the high cost and complexity of implementation.1