HHS Secretary Kennedy urges states to restrict junk food in SNAP
HHS Secretary Kennedy urges states to restrict junk food from SNAP benefits.
Event / Politics
SNAP Benefits Food Policy Reform
Bipartisan U.S. senators introduced legislation to expand SNAP benefits to include hot prepared foods like rotisserie chicken, currently excluded under decades-old restrictions. The effort coincides with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pressing states to restrict certain foods from SNAP eligibility.
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2026-08-18 to 2026-11-15 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 24 Apr, 02:36 UTC
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What happened
Representative Rick Crawford pushes similar rotisserie chicken legislation in House
Republican Representative Rick Crawford of Arkansas has introduced or championed similar legislation in the House of Representatives to expand SNAP benefits to include rotisserie chicken and other hot prepared foods.
HHS Secretary Kennedy presses states to ban junk food from SNAP benefits
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has urged states to exclude junk foods such as soda and candy from SNAP eligibility. In response to this push, 22 states, predominantly led by Republican administrations, have requested or been granted permission to restrict certain foods from SNAP purchases.
Bipartisan senators introduce Hot Rotisserie Chicken Act to expand SNAP eligibility
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced the Hot Rotisserie Chicken Act, a bill that would make rotisserie chicken purchased from grocery stores an eligible item under the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP). The bill was co-sponsored by Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Republican Senator Jim Justice of West Virginia, along with Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and Democratic Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado. The legislation aims to expand the types of foods eligible for SNAP benefits by allowing hot prepared foods, which are currently excluded.
SNAP program currently prohibits hot prepared foods including rotisserie chicken
The Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), used by nearly 42 million Americans (approximately one in eight), provides monthly stipends to low-income families for grocery purchases but does not cover hot prepared foods. This restriction has been in place for decades and was originally intended to promote home cooking. Critics argue the exclusion is outdated and unfairly penalizes struggling families by excluding convenient and nutritious options like rotisserie chicken.
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Bipartisan lawmakers push to expand SNAP eligibility for prepared foods
Bipartisan legislators push to expand SNAP benefits to include hot prepared foods like rotisserie chicken.