A Nutrition-Forward Approach to SNAP

What’s the Bottom Line

• On January 1, five SNAP waivers restricting the purchase of certain unhealthy foods went into effect, with 13 more states approved to implement restrictions later this year.
• Coupled with funding cuts for SNAP-Ed and limitations on eligibility, SNAP participants now have fewer dollars to promote healthy eating.
• Opportunities to integrate positive nutrition support into SNAP can bring benefits to people.

The Big Picture

that a nutritious diet is essential to improving individuals’ health and can play an important role in reducing health care costs. Changing what Americans consume has been highlighted as a part of the current Administration’s (MAHA) agenda. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—which supports access to food and reduces food insecurity for over —is viewed as one vehicle for effectuating change.

This Administration has been encouraging states to restrict the purchase of certain food items for SNAP participants. Over the course of 2026, at least 18 state waivers are slated to take effect, eliminating soda, candy, and other items as eligible purchases. This approach has sparked significant debate. On the one hand, SNAP is fundamentally a food security program, and studies show that food purchased through SNAP is generally consistent with the American diet. On the other hand, lowering intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and other unhealthy food items is beneficial to health. Regardless of where one falls in this debate, supporting SNAP-eligible households to establish a well-rounded diet, ideally one that supports an individual’s specific budget, needs and health conditions, is the priority on the minds of many stakeholders and policy makers.

Below are several ideas about how to leverage existing infrastructure to achieve this goal.

A SNAP-Focused Nutrition Policy Strategy

1) Doubling Down on SNAP Incentive Programs

Interventions providing financial incentives for SNAP participants to purchase healthy foods have been effective in increasing such purchases. While have been available for many years (see Figure 1), there has been little public awareness, and findings suggest that they are often underutilized—for example, the for the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) is around 62%. Now is the time for them to be front and center.

Expand funding for and improve uptake of SNAP incentives

• Why: Research indicates pairing incentives with restrictions can be more effective at increasing and than restrictions alone. Pilots in this area could help establish a framework for an incentive-based approach to SNAP policy and the improvement of beneficiary diets.
• How:
  • Advance existing legislative proposals: Several proposals are currently circulating before Congress to expand and (). One bill proposes to increase incentive funding for HFMI by $1 million, a fraction of the nearly $300 billion in projected are expected to experience over ten years. The Farm Bill is where any changes will likely be implemented.
  • Support existing federally-funded incentive programs: State, local, and/or private actors can build on and expand the reach of existing incentive programs such as through making matching incentive investments. The non-profit Fair Food Network has been operating Michigan’s large program funded by GusNIP, reaching nearly 190,000 SNAP households in 2024 and helping facilitate the purchase of more than 50 million pounds of produce.
  • Establish and fund new incentive programs: States, local governments, non-profits, health care providers, health plans, and/or private organizations can start and fund incentive programs on their own. For example, food retailers can offer additional discounts on healthy foods to SNAP shoppers. Incentive programs do still require approval—completing a initiates the incentive request process.    
  • Amplify existing incentives: Health care providers, health plans and community-based organizations (CBOs) can share information about and connect enrollees to SNAP incentives for healthy food purchases. Food retailers, companies, and/or producers can partner with local community incentive providers to enhance the impact of existing incentives (e.g., work with farmer’s markets to host food preparation demos or tailor existing discount programs to support incentivized products).

2) Strengthening Health Care and SNAP Linkages

Health care providers, insurers, and especially state Medicaid programs can strengthen SNAP enrollment and leverage benefits as part of a holistic approach to nutrition. Data indicates a high degree of between SNAP and Medicaid eligible individuals. Out of the individuals receiving SNAP in 2022, 61% were covered by Medicaid only, 7% were covered by Medicare only, and 18% were covered by both Medicare and Medicaid.

Enhance cross-enrollment support across Medicaid and SNAP

• Why: Around do not receive SNAP benefits.  Enrollment is only likely to decrease further given upcoming policy and operational that will make SNAP more difficult to access, potentially widening that gap further over time.
• How: While some states and health care providers implement cross-enrollment support, more can be done. For example, state Medicaid agencies can include a contractual obligation for managed care organizations (MCOs) to support Medicaid beneficiaries enrolling in and navigating public benefit programs, including SNAP and leverage their care management workforce, including primary care medical home or population health initiatives, to connect eligible enrollees to SNAP. Most state SNAP and Medicaid agencies with each other. Several states also have with staff who jointly determine eligibility for SNAP and Medicaid or integrated eligibility systems.   continue to enhance data sharing, alignment between the agencies and systems, and training of the eligibility workforce. Health care providers also can identify SNAP-eligible individuals as part of enrollment efforts, including connecting their patients to local community hubs for enrollment support and navigation.  

Reinforce SNAP connection to Food is Medicine programs

• Why: Several state Medicaid agencies leverage federal authority to provide Food is Medicine (FIM) services to eligible Medicaid beneficiaries. FIM is as “the provision of healthy food resources to prevent, manage, or treat specific clinical conditions in coordination with the health care sector”.  These supports can include fruit and vegetable prescriptions, medically tailored meals, etc. Similar supports are provided by Medicare or Medicare Advantage plans. Effectively leveraging all available food programs holistically can produce better beneficiary health outcomes.
• How: Organizations that serve SNAP and Medicaid beneficiaries can mutually raise awareness about potentially available nutrition supports. For example, CBOs serving SNAP enrollees at a food bank could highlight FIM services available to eligible individuals and similarly, health care providers can raise awareness about SNAP. States could run communication campaigns on the complementary nature of the programs. Going a step further, health care providers and MCOs can help patients leverage SNAP benefits to ensure consistency with treatment plans in management of diet-related diseases. Finally, the FIM community may consider how to help patients manage some of the barriers previously addressed by SNAP Education () or partnering with community organizations or retailers to serve this function.   

3) Ensuring Nutrition Education Support and Advancing Consumer-Friendly Tools & Technology

Historically, SNAP has supported healthy diets through half a billion dollar annual investment in SNAP-Ed, which ended in September pursuant to H.R. 1. The elimination of SNAP-Ed removed a key source of educational support for low-income families who struggle to purchase and prepare healthy foods. Health care providers, retailers, food suppliers, and digital startups can enhance their activities in these instructional areas.

• Why: Challenges for families include not only food costs, but also limited shopping options, cooking skills/experience/equipment, and nutrition knowledge. In 2024, SNAP-Ed over 10 million individuals and specifically around 1 million through direct education. Recent evidence indicates that SNAP-Ed The removal of SNAP-Ed classes on nutrition, food budgeting, and cooking has left a key gap.
• How: Food companies/retailers, non-profit organizations, and states have already been playing a role in nutritional education and may consider how to ramp up their involvement. Some state agencies cover nutrition education in their Medicaid programs; for example, covers nutrition education classes and skills development as well as nutrition counseling. Major food companies have started to leverage technology for innovation and customized nutritional education. For example, Sysco provides a for Senior Living coded to 28 therapeutic diet types and has several filters for their products online based on nutritional needs. Digital startups and stores have created more consumer-friendly apps for healthy eating. Concentrated efforts to innovate and more deliberately link these initiatives and technology to SNAP consumers are fruitful avenues for exploration.

Where to Go from Here

A broad range of stakeholders can support SNAP, by seizing all opportunities to integrate positive nutrition support into SNAP.  This approach not only supports current SNAP participant health and well-being but also builds awareness and demonstrates the feasibility and value of these interventions. Both the government and non-government sector are well positioned to build on existing infrastructure and promote positive, innovative approaches for supporting SNAP enrollees’ health through improved nutrition.

based on previous edition of Dietary Guidelines for Americans; were released 1/7/26.