As 2026 dawns, millions of Americans are facing new hurdles in their daily struggle to put food on the table, with sweeping changes to food assistance programs and mounting economic pressures deepening the nation’s food insecurity crisis. From policy shifts in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to grassroots efforts in local communities, the fight for food access and dignity is taking on new urgency.
On January 1, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, and West Virginia became the first of at least 18 states to enact waivers that ban SNAP recipients from using their benefits to buy candy, soda, and other so-called “junk foods.” According to USA Today, these waivers, affecting about 1.4 million people, are part of a broader push by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to strip unhealthy foods from the $100 billion federal SNAP program. Their Make America Healthy Again initiative aims to reduce chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes, which are often linked to sweetened drinks and snacks.
“We cannot continue a system that forces taxpayers to fund programs that make people sick and then pay a second time to treat the illnesses those very programs help create,” Kennedy said in a December statement, as quoted by USA Today.
The new rules are anything but uniform. Utah and West Virginia now prohibit SNAP purchases of soda and soft drinks, Nebraska bans soda and energy drinks, Indiana targets soft drinks and candy, and Iowa’s restrictions go even further, affecting taxable foods including certain prepared items. The waivers are set to run for two years, with the option for a three-year extension, and each state must assess the impact of these changes.
Yet, the rollout has been anything but smooth. Retailers and policy experts warn that the changes are sowing confusion among SNAP recipients and store employees alike. The National Retail Federation, a leading industry group, predicts longer checkout lines and a surge in customer complaints as people discover at the register which foods are now off-limits. “It’s a disaster waiting to happen of people trying to buy food and being rejected,” Kate Bauer, a nutrition science expert at the University of Michigan, told USA Today.
The technical challenges are daunting. There’s no comprehensive list of affected foods, and point-of-sale systems vary widely by state and retailer. A report by the National Grocers Association and other trade groups estimates that implementing the new restrictions will cost U.S. retailers $1.6 billion up front, with $759 million in annual losses going forward. “Punishing SNAP recipients means we all get to pay more at the grocery store,” said Gina Plata-Nino, SNAP director for the anti-hunger advocacy group Food Research & Action Center, in a blog post cited by USA Today.
For the 42 million Americans who rely on SNAP—nearly 62% of whom are in families with children, and about 37% in households with older adults or people with disabilities, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities—these changes come at an already precarious time. Food insecurity, which had been declining after a pandemic-induced spike, is once again on the rise. Purdue’s Center for Food Demand Analysis and Sustainability reports that an average of 14% of U.S. households experienced food insecurity between January and October 2025, up from 12.5% the previous year.
Behind these numbers are real people, facing tough choices and, sometimes, humiliation at the checkout. Marc Craig, 47, of Des Moines, told USA Today that living in his car and navigating the new SNAP rules have increased the stigma he feels. “They treat people that get food stamps like we’re not people,” Craig said.
Health experts are skeptical that the waivers will meaningfully improve health outcomes. Dr. Anand Parekh, chief health policy officer at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, argued to USA Today that, “This doesn’t solve the two fundamental problems, which is healthy food in this country is not affordable and unhealthy food is cheap and ubiquitous.”
Meanwhile, on the ground in places like Northeast Portland, the human side of food insecurity is playing out in the daily lives of vulnerable residents. The nonprofit New Narrative recently expanded its food pantry at the Breitung Building, a veterans housing development, to make food more accessible for residents facing housing instability and limited incomes. The expansion, supported by local churches and community partners, aims to reduce uncertainty for veterans already grappling with benefit changes and rising food costs, KGW News reported.
U.S. Air Force veteran Tyree Shaw, who spent four years homeless before moving into the Breitung Building, described the struggle bluntly: “I bet you right now we could walk a five-block radius and find a dozen hungry people who don’t know where their food is coming from.” For Shaw, the on-site pantry means he no longer has to ask others for help or resort to desperate measures. “It’s hard to ask for stuff when you’re in a pinch,” he said. “I’d rather go sneak into a Popeyes dumpster than go ask someone for something to eat.”
U.S. Army veteran Patsy Payne, who served during the Vietnam War, relies on the pantry for dry goods and uses her SNAP benefits for milk and produce. But when SNAP payments were delayed during the November 2025 government shutdown, Payne felt exposed. “I was feeling very threatened because I had so little to begin with,” she told KGW News.
Kells Perry, peer support director at New Narrative, emphasized the emotional toll: “It’s hard to see folks struggle when they’ve given so much to our country and know there aren’t sustainable systems to support them.” The organization’s priority, Perry said, is simple: “I don’t want anyone to go hungry. If there’s anything we can do to make it feel more like home, that’s what we’re going to do.”
In Salem, Oregon, community responses to food insecurity have been equally creative and heartfelt. When SNAP payments lapsed during the November government shutdown, Caleb Hayward, owner of the ice cream shop On Any Sundae, turned a table in his shop into a food pantry, stocking it with nearly $300 of his own money. As Salem Reporter recounted in a year-end reflection, Hayward was inspired by his own childhood experiences with food assistance and wanted to give back. The food table became a symbol of neighbors supporting neighbors during tough times.
Community efforts like these are helping to fill the gaps left by policy changes and bureaucratic delays, but the broader challenge remains daunting. Rising food costs, shifting eligibility rules, and the logistical headaches of new SNAP restrictions are converging to make food insecurity a persistent and growing problem in America’s cities and towns.
As the nation enters 2026, the debate over how best to help those in need is far from settled. Policymakers and advocates continue to argue over the merits and pitfalls of restricting SNAP purchases, while on the front lines, communities are improvising solutions to ensure that no one goes hungry. The stakes, as always, are measured in human dignity and daily survival.
