Media Contact:
Jordan Baker
jbaker@frac.org
980-290-7282
Statement attributable to Crystal FitzSimons, president, Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)
WASHINGTON, May 7, 2026 — FRAC is deeply concerned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) final rule on staple food-stocking standards for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) retailers. The rule causes considerable confusion and does not address key concerns from advocates, retailers, and communities. These concerns include estimates that about 5,000 retailers in underserved areas might be excluded from the program, potentially decreasing food access in these communities. The majority of SNAP participants are children, older adults, and people with disabilities.
For those living in areas with no major grocery stores, the loss of these authorized SNAP retailers means losing the only accessible point of purchase for groceries – this is especially true for SNAP participants facing high mobility or transportation barriers.
This rule arrives during a challenging policy and economic environment. Nearly one year after the budget reconciliation law, H.R. 1, went into effect, more than 2.5 million people have already lost access to SNAP benefits. This new retailer rule risks eliminating food access altogether for those who remain on the program. Meanwhile, USDA’s termination of the Household Food Security report disregards critical data needed to measure the fallout of these harmful policy choices.
While improving SNAP’s nutritional quality is important, policies reducing participants’ access to retailers, especially small retailers in underserved areas, is not the answer. Rules that hamper participation, and without the support of the affected businesses and communities, risk losing stores and creating barriers for households with low incomes. FRAC urges USDA to reconsider these standards and prioritize the needs of the millions of people who rely on SNAP to put food on the table.
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The Food Research & Action Center improves the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the United States through advocacy, partnerships, and by advancing bold and equitable policy solutions. To learn more, visit FRAC.org and follow us on LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky.