Beginning in 2026, SNAP benefits cannot be used in West Virginia to purchase soda. (Janelle Stecklein | Oklahoma Voice)
West Virginia’s plan to stop Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits from being used to purchase soda will cost state retailers thousands of dollars to purchase new equipment, a representative of a trade association said Wednesday.
Traci Nelson, president of the West Virginia Oil Marketers and Grocers Association, said the organization recognizes that the intent behind the change is good and agrees that West Virginians should be healthier, but the changes will be costly.
“The new requirements do place a significant financial burden on our members, because now they’re going to have to change their point-of-sale systems, and that can be anywhere from $1,000 to several thousand,” Nelson said. “These little retailers are already running on really narrow margins as it is. So it can put quite a burden on them.”
OMEGA represents around 140 independent grocers, convenience stores and petroleum marketers around the state, Nelson said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved West Virginia’s SNAP waiver and that of five other states on Monday during a press conference in Washington D.C. The changes go into effect beginning in 2026 and are approved for two years, according to the federal government’s approval letter to the state.
“For years, SNAP has used taxpayer dollars to fund soda and candy — products that fuel America’s diabetes and chronic disease epidemics,” Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement Monday. “These waivers help put real food back at the center of the program and empower states to lead the charge in protecting public health. I thank these governors who have stepped up to request waivers, and I encourage others to follow their lead. This is how we Make America Healthy Again.”
SNAP provides assistance to more than 147,000 West Virginia households, according to the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy. An average SNAP household receives less than $6 per person per day in assistance.
SNAP benefits, for now, are funded entirely through the federal government and administered through the state. “The One Big Beautiful Bill Act” which President Donald Trump signed into law last month, will shift some of the costs of benefits to the states beginning in October 2027 and expand work requirements. Changes to SNAP in the bill are expected to cost more than 22 million people some or all of their food assistance over the next 10 years.
During the news conference Monday, Gov. Patrick Morrisey noted that West Virginia ranks at the bottom for many health indicators like obesity and diabetes.
“I believe in telling the truth to the American people about where we are, because that’s going to make the rise all the more better when West Virginia is able to reach her potential and to get healthy again,” Morrisey said. “The good news today is that we all have the power to change.
Morrisey had also requested to expand hot food options available through SNAP, but that portion of the waiver is still under consideration by the USDA, a spokesman for Morrisey said this week.
According to the approval letter, West Virginia is required to write quarterly reports on the project for the first year of implementation.
“Due to the novel design of the Project, [the Food and Nutrition Service] is committed to carefully and comprehensively evaluating how waiving the State’s definition of food in this way impacts SNAP participants and retailers,” the letter reads. “FNS will carefully review the results of the Project, based on the evaluation data provided by the State and other available information.”
Morrisey’s office and the Department of Human Services did not immediately respond to a question Wednesday about how the state plans to evaluate the project.
According to the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, SNAP provided $500 million in federal benefits to 2,200 SNAP-approved West Virginia grocers and retailers in 2024.
Nelson, with OMEGA, said there’s no way of telling what effect the SNAP restrictions will have on retailers on the state’s borders, where SNAP recipients could easily cross into Ohio or Pennsylvania to purchase soda where the rule doesn’t apply.
“I will tell you that that is probably going to be a really big problem for retailers on the borders,” Nelson said. “Because if they cross the border to purchase one thing, they’re going to purchase other things, right? They’re still gonna purchase those items one way or another. And so if they’re on a border and they cross over into Ohio or Pennsylvania or wherever, they’re going to buy other items as well.
“So our retailers are not only going to be losing the sales for the soft drinks and things, they’re probably going to be losing sales for the other grocery items as well,” she said.
The state defines soda as “any carbonated non-alcoholic beverage that contains water, a sweetening agent, flavoring, and carbon dioxide gas to create carbonation.”
The restrictions are also opposed by Americans for Food and Beverage Choice — which is spearheaded by the American Beverage Association. The organization said on its website the changes “will set a dangerous precedent of government overreach into our personal lives.
“Restricting what one segment of the population can buy at the grocery store just because they need temporary government assistance goes against American values,” the organization said. “These proposals treat families and veterans as second-class citizens. In times like these, families don’t need one more person telling them what they can and cannot do. But more restrictions would put us on a slippery slope where bureaucrats get to annually decide which foods and beverages some Americans are allowed to serve their families.”
The West Virginia Center of Budget and Policy also opposes restrictions on SNAP. They argue that instead, the state and federal government should increase SNAP benefit levels and offer incentives to ensure households can afford more healthful options. Investing in programs like SNAP Stretch, which double benefits when used to purchase fruits and vegetables at approved businesses, is a more effective path, they said.
“All evidence shows these food bans do nothing to change consumption or improve healthy eating,” said Kelly Allen, executive director of the Center on Budget and Policy. “And they pale in comparison to the deep harms of Congress and the Trump Administration decimating SNAP and eliminating SNAP Ed, which actually did provide critical nutrition education and obesity prevention.”
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