NGA Statement on Implementation of SNAP Waivers

Washington, D.C. – The National Grocers Association (NGA), the trade association representing the independent supermarket industry, released the following statement on the implementation of SNAP waivers:

“For decades, local grocers have been trusted stewards of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a public-private partnership that successfully feeds over 40 million Americans every day. These grocery stores are family-owned, Main Street businesses that know their customers, serve their neighbors, and follow the rules. With the approval of state SNAP restriction waivers, however, new challenges have arisen for independent grocers, who are steadfast in their efforts to uphold SNAP’s primary mission of providing low-income Americans with food items.

Under the SNAP restrictions going into effect on January 1, 2026, tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of food items will be placed on SNAP restricted lists, forcing independent grocers to take on significant costs to reprogram systems, track and code items, retrain frontline employees, and educate customers about the new policy. These regulatory burdens have the potential to disrupt store operations and slow checkout lines as retailers work in good faith to implement and enforce the new rules

For SNAP reforms to Make America Healthy Again, policymakers must provide clear, consistent definitions and a realistic implementation timeline. Independent grocers are proud economic drivers, creating local jobs and generating tax revenue, but they need certainty and common sense, not more costly red tape handed down by bureaucrats.”

About the National Grocers Association

NGA is the national trade association representing the retail and wholesale community grocers that comprise the independent sector of the food distribution industry. An independent retailer is a privately owned or controlled food retail company operating a variety of formats. The independent grocery sector is accountable for about 1.2 percent of the nation’s overall economy and is responsible for generating more than $250 billion in sales, 1.1 million jobs, $39 billion in wages and $36 billion in taxes. NGA members include retail and wholesale grocers located in every congressional district across the country, as well as state grocers’ associations, manufacturers and service suppliers. For more information about NGA, visit www.nationalgrocers.org.