WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on May 7, 2026, that retailers authorized to accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits will be required to carry a broader variety of staple foods under a new final rule, what the agency calls “real foods”.
The rule changes stocking standards for SNAP-authorized retailers and is intended to increase the availability of nutritious food options for SNAP participants while also strengthening program accountability.
Under the updated requirements, SNAP retailers must carry seven varieties of items across four staple food categories: protein, grains, dairy, and fruits and vegetables. USDA officials said the change more than doubles the current requirement for available foods, places greater emphasis on whole foods, increases requirements for perishable foods and closes loopholes that allowed certain snack foods to count toward staple food requirements.
The changes are scheduled to take effect in fall 2026. USDA said additional guidance for retailers will be issued in the coming weeks.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins said the rule is meant to make sure SNAP retailers are actually selling food while improving options for families who rely on the program.
“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,” Rollins said.
Rollins said SNAP-authorized retailers accept more than $90 billion a year, or about $236 million a day, in taxpayer-funded benefits.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also praised the rule, saying it puts “real food back at the center of SNAP.”
USDA said the Food and Nutrition Service has taken action on nearly 3,200 retailers since the beginning of the Trump Administration related to current stocking standards. Those actions included retailers that failed to meet requirements when applying to participate in SNAP or failed to maintain the standards after authorization.
Retailers that fail to maintain required stocking standards may be disqualified from accepting SNAP benefits.
USDA said the new rule is also aimed at retailers that have stocked only the minimum required items while also being associated with program violations, including benefit trafficking and other fraudulent behavior.