Public Health & Health Policy > Political Pulse

Should junk food be eliminated under the SNAP program? Experts react to Trump's possible ban

By Lisa Marie Basile | Fact-checked by Barbara Bekiesz

Published April 17, 2025

Key Takeaways

Industry Buzz

“The issue isn’t junk food. If we want to improve public health outcomes, we need to address cost, convenience, and accessibility—the real factors that drive purchasing decisions—not shame or restriction of which food options are available for lower-income families.” — Alicia “Chacha” Miller, RDN
“Why not subsidize fruits, veggies, organic farming, eggs, etc so that healthy options can go down in cost, while these less nutritious options go up?” — Aubrey Phelps, MS, RDN, CLC

The Trump Administration wants to ban junk food from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) coverage, a program that provides food access to millions. ^[] In 2024, it supported about 41 million low-income people across the nation. ^[]

The move—which has been tried in the past and has proven complicated—is supported by key Administration players like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Health and Human Services secretary, and Brooke Rollins, the Agriculture secretary.

Kennedy in particular has been very vocal about the issue, saying SNAP users shouldn’t be able to buy soda or processed foods. “The federal government in many cases is paying for it. And we shouldn’t be subsidizing people to eat poison,” Kennedy told Fox News in February. ^[]

Physicians know that junk foods and sugary drinks are associated with risk of metabolic syndrome and even premature death—but health experts aren’t sure that banning these foods from SNAP coverage is helpful. ^[]

Should the Trump administration ban junk foods from SNAP?

Alicia “Chacha” Miller, a registered dietitian nutritionist specializing in maternal and pediatric nutrition, general wellness, and chronic disease prevention, says banning these foods doesn’t even come close to getting to the root issue of food insecurity.

“It only further restricts the choices available to people who are already navigating systemic barriers to accessing nutritious food,” she says. “Many SNAP and WIC recipients live in areas affected by food apartheid, where fresh, nutrient-dense foods are scarce, making it even harder to put balanced meals on the table.”

Instead of policing people’s food choices, Miller says the government should be focused on increasing access to nutrient-dense options and expanding nutrition education.

“If we want to improve public health outcomes, we need to address cost, convenience, and accessibility—the real factors that drive purchasing decisions—not shame or restriction of which food options are available for lower-income families," Miller says. “The issue isn’t junk food.”

Jennifer L. House, MSc, RD, a family-based dietitian with First Step Nutrition, says she understands the motivation behind encouraging people to make healthier food choices—which may decrease healthcare costs in the future.

"But not only would it be a huge logistical nightmare to limit certain foods for SNAP recipients, it's also difficult to create a black-and-white list of what is ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy,’” House says.

House says this black-and-white labeling can also lead to wanting certain items more. “Ultimately, labeling foods unhealthy or restricted just increases cravings for them—which you can understand if you've ever tried a restrictive diet,” she adds.

The issue is also complicated by where the government does put its money, says Aubrey Phelps, MS, RDN, CLC, of Matrescence Nutrition.

“This is such a complicated issue, as we should ideally be limiting excessively processed foods and foods with lots of added sugars for all [people], not just those using government assistance for their nutrition resources,” Phelps says.

Phelps says she mainly takes issue with the government subsidizing farmers who grow commodity crops like corn—which is grown in such abundance that it’s then used to make corn starch, found in many processed foods.

“So, if you're truly looking to make a change, I'd argue the place to start is changing the type of farm products we're subsidizing,” Phelps says. “Why not subsidize fruits, veggies, organic farming, eggs, etc so that healthy options can go down in cost, while the less nutritious options go up?”