FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEW YORK, NEW YORK — May 11, 2026

By Greg Silverman, CEO of West Side Campaign Against Hunger:

“The USDA announced it is requiring SNAP-authorized retailers to stock a wider range of staple and perishable foods in order to participate in the program. The administration says it wants to increase access to ‘real food.’ On the surface, that sounds reasonable. But the real issue here is choice, and whether we trust low-income families to make decisions for themselves.

At the same time Congress is shrinking SNAP benefits through H.R. 1, this new USDA rule could further limit where families can actually use their benefits. In New York alone, SNAP-authorized retailers redeemed $9.3 billion in 2023, supporting more than 17,000 local grocery stores, bodegas and farmers markets that serve as lifelines in their neighborhoods.

Asking small retailers to stock larger amounts of costly fresh and perishable food creates real financial risk. The likely outcome is that many will simply stop accepting SNAP altogether. That means fewer healthy food options, fewer neighborhood businesses participating in the program, fewer local jobs and less revenue flowing into local economies.

If USDA and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy truly wants to make America great again, they should start by making sure families have enough financial resources to put healthy food on the table in the first place.”

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