USDA has published the final rule regarding stocking standards for retailers participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
According to the Department, the final rule requires that retailers “must now carry seven varieties of items across four categories of staple foods: protein, grains, dairy, and fruits and vegetables. This change more than doubles the requirement of available foods, emphasizes more whole foods, increases the perishable food requirements, and eliminates loopholes that for too long have allowed retailers to count certain snack foods toward their staple food requirements.”
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said, “To turn the tide on our nation’s health crisis, we need to ensure our nutrition assistance programs emphasize real food first, and that’s exactly what these updates to SNAP retailer requirements will do. SNAP authorized retailers accept over $90 billion a year, or $236 million a day, in taxpayer dollars—USDA is making sure they’re actually in the business of selling food. And for those retailers who are the only food outpost for miles, I know you will be so excited to serve your customers and communities healthy food.”
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said, “This rule puts real food back at the center of SNAP. I thank Secretary Rollins for her leadership in advancing these commonsense reforms. It demands more from retailers and delivers better options for the families who depend on this program. This administration is committed to working across government to improve nutrition, strengthen accountability, and drive better health outcomes nationwide. This is how we Make America Healthy Again.”
Audio Reporting by Dale Sandlin for Southeast AgNet.