Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: State of Arkansas SNAP Demonstration Project
This notice invites the public to comment on the State of Arkansas' demonstration project authorized under section 17(b) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, 7 U.S.C. 2026(b)....
Food and Nutrition Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
ACTION:
Notice of request for public comments.
SUMMARY:
This notice invites the public to comment on the State of Arkansas' demonstration project authorized under section 17(b) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, 7 U.S.C. 2026(b). The Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA) will take appropriate action as necessary in response to comments.
DATES:
Written comments must be received on or before October 15, 2026.
ADDRESSES:
Comments on this notice may be submitted to FNA by one of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal:
Go to
www.regulations.gov.
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
Website:
Go to
www.regulations.gov.
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
All written comments submitted in response to this notice will be included in the record and will be made available to the public. Please be advised that the substance of the comments and the identity of the individuals or entities submitting the comments will be subject to public disclosure. FNA will make the written comments publicly available on the internet viawww.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Shiela Corley, Acting FNA Administrator, at
SM.FN.RPMDHQ-WEB@usda.gov
with subject line of “AR SNAP Demonstration Project”.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Section 17(b) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, 7 U.S.C. 2026(b), authorizes FNA to approve demonstration projects to test changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that may increase programmatic efficiency and improve the delivery of SNAP benefits to raise levels of nutrition among eligible households. This demonstration project is implemented by the State, and FNA will carefully review the results of the project based on the State's evaluation data. All relevant documents, including the State's demonstration project request, can be found in the supporting document section. Additionally, to support implementation and ensure transparency, FNA created a central web page on May 21, 2025, to post State agencies' project requests and approvals and provide exact implementation timelines. That web page is accessible at the following address:
www.fna.usda.gov/snap/waivers/foodrestriction.
Discussion of Demonstration Project
State of Arkansas Demonstration Project Request
The State of Arkansas requested to conduct a demonstration project to amend the SNAP definition of food for purchase to exclude “soda, low and no-calorie soda, fruit and vegetable drinks with less than 50% natural juice, other unhealthy drinks, and candy”. The State formally requested to conduct this project on April 15, 2025. On May 5, 2026, the State requested to modify the initial project request to clarify “allowable and unallowable items under the pilot”. The State requested to implement the project on July 1, 2026. The State's project request and the subsequent modification request can be found in the supporting document section and on the FNA website at the following address:
www.fna.usda.gov/snap/waivers/foodrestriction/arkansas.
USDA Approval of Initial Demonstration Project Request
7 U.S.C. 2026(b)
www.regulations.gov
www.fna.usda.gov/snap/waivers/foodrestriction
humanservices.arkansas.gov/divisions-shared-services/county-operations/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-snap