After hours of emotional testimony on Friday, Colorado’s Board of Human Services hit pause on a closely watched proposal that would block SNAP recipients from spending benefits on most sodas and other sugary drinks. Instead of taking a final vote, the board pushed the decision to a later meeting, leaving SNAP households, public health advocates and corner-store owners all waiting for the other shoe to drop.
The delay followed a tense debate that split the room between public health and medical groups on one side and anti-hunger advocates on the other, each arguing over who gets to decide what low-income Coloradans can put in their grocery carts.
What the federal waivers allow
Colorado is seeking to use the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s demonstration authority to run a pilot that would bar SNAP benefits from covering “soft drinks,” defined in the state’s waiver paperwork as nonalcoholic beverages with natural or artificial sweeteners. Milk-based drinks and beverages that are at least 50 percent juice would still be allowed under the proposal.
According to the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, the agency has already approved similar demonstration waivers for multiple states and requires detailed plans for monitoring and retailer compliance. Colorado’s own State Waiver request spells out how products would be categorized, how the rollout would work and how the state would evaluate the pilot once it is up and running.
How many Coloradans would be affected
Roughly 600,000 Coloradans rely on SNAP, and the state typically pays out around $120 million in benefits each month, according to a Colorado Department of Human Services press release. Sweetened beverages are not some fringe item in that budget. Reporting in The Colorado Sun notes that they account for about 9 percent of SNAP spending and rank as the second-largest purchase category, behind only meat, poultry and seafood.
Support and pushback at Friday’s hearing
The board wrapped up Friday’s hearing with a split verdict on the proposal, four members opposed, three in favor and two still on the fence. Then, it postponed a final decision until late April, according to The Denver Post. That non-decision satisfied almost no one.
Anti-hunger organizations including Hunger Free Colorado, argued that telling SNAP users what they can and cannot drink would pile stigma on top of already tight budgets and could push smaller stores to stop accepting SNAP rather than wrestle with new rules. Hunger Free Colorado summed up its view bluntly, saying, “This is not about health — it's about hunger,” as reported by The Colorado Sun.
Supporters of the waiver, including public health organizations and medical groups cited by state staff, countered that cutting sugary drinks out of the program could chip away at soda consumption and, over time, reduce health care costs tied to conditions like diabetes and heart disease. Critics such as the Food Research & Action Center say the research behind that claim is thin and warn that the policy could bury retailers and families in red tape for questionable gain.
Timeline and what comes next
The board is now slated to take up the Colorado Healthy Choice Waiver again in late April. If members ultimately sign off, the waiver would take effect April 30, 2026, according to the state’s implementation documents.
The Colorado Department of Human Services has already begun laying groundwork. The agency has posted guidance for retailers and a product matrix to spell out which drinks would be in or out, and it is requiring retailers to return attestation forms before any launch. The state’s waiver filing details the quarterly evaluation and monitoring that the federal government will expect, while Colorado Department of Human Services materials outline the upcoming work on outreach, compliance and reporting.
Until the board finally votes, both sides are gearing up for round two. Public health advocates see a chance to make Colorado a national test case for nudging healthier choices in SNAP, while anti-hunger groups see a line in the sand on who gets to decide what low-income families buy at the checkout stand.
