Policy Brief

Twenty-three states now have federal waivers to restrict which foods people can buy with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), but whether that will actually improve diets is an open question.

This brief builds a framework for evaluating how these restrictions could affect participants, retailers, and food manufacturers.

The authors identify two factors that framework must account for: participants may substitute other resources or swap in similar, only marginally healthier foods, and retailers may face significant new administrative costs to comply.