With new federal approval, Indiana will ban the purchase of candy and soda using taxpayer-funded food assistance starting Friday, Jan. 1, 2026. Photo by Bryan P. Sears, Maryland Matters.

By Casey Smith
Indiana Capital Chronicle

INDIANAPOLIS — Hoosiers will no longer be allowed to purchase candy and soda using taxpayer-funded food assistance, making Indiana the first state to receive a federal waiver for the restriction.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins signed off on Indiana’s request this week, according to a Friday news release from Gov. Mike Braun’s office.

The Republican governor signed an executive order in April as part of his “Make Indiana Healthy Again” plan to limit the use of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. The new policy will take effect Friday, Jan. 1, 2026, per a spokesperson for the governor.

“More taxpayer-funded SNAP dollars are spent on sugary drinks and candy than on fruits and vegetables,” Braun said in a statement. “Indiana is proud to lead the way in the Make America Healthy Again agenda by making this common-sense move to return SNAP to its intended purpose: nutrition.”

Braun said he requested the federal waiver to allow Indiana to impose its own restrictions on the program.

He pointed to USDA data showing that soda is the most purchased item with SNAP benefits. Nationwide, SNAP recipients spend more on sugary drinks, desserts and candy than on fruits and vegetables combined.

Research additionally shows children in SNAP households consume 43% more sugary beverages than children in similar-income households not enrolled in the program.

Indiana was one of the first states to apply for the waiver and is part of a broader push by the Braun administration to combat diet-related health problems and improve food quality in low-income Hoosier communities.

The announcement initially came during a rollout event for the initiative, where U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. praised Indiana’s approach.

“I urge every governor across America to follow your lead,” Kennedy said during the Tuesday, April 15 visit in Indianapolis. He called for other reforms, too, like banning certain food dyes and additives, expanding farm-to-school programs, implementing fitness testing in schools, and increasing SNAP transparency.

Related executive orders recently signed by Braun include those to add work requirements for more SNAP recipients; commissioning studies about food safety and diet-related illness; and various proposals to generally limit “waste, fraud and abuse” in the state’s Medicaid program.