WASHINGTON, D.C.: Starting January 1, Americans in five states who receive food stamps from the government to pay for groceries were restricted from buying soda, candy, and other foods they could, earlier, buy with those benefits.

Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, and West Virginia were the first of at least 18 states that enacted waivers prohibiting the purchase of certain foods through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins urged states to remove foods considered unhealthy from the US$100 billion federal program that serves 42 million Americans.

"We cannot continue a system that forces taxpayers to fund programs that make people sick and then pay a second time to treat the illnesses those very programs help create," Kennedy said in a statement in December.

They hope to implement a key goal of Kennedy's Make America Healthy Again effort by reducing chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes associated with sweetened drinks and other treats.

However, retail industry and health policy experts said state SNAP programs, already under pressure from steep budget cuts, are unprepared for the complex changes. There are no comprehensive lists of the foods affected and the point-of-sale challenges that vary by state and store. And no research states that restricting SNAP purchases improves diet quality and health.

The National Retail Federation, a trade association, predicted longer checkout lines and more customer complaints as SNAP recipients learn about the new waivers that affect certain foods.

"It's a disaster waiting to happen of people trying to buy food and being rejected," said Kate Bauer, a nutrition science expert at the University of Michigan.

A report by the National Grocers Association and other industry trade groups estimated that implementing SNAP restrictions would cost U.S. retailers $1.6 billion initially and $759 million each year going forward.

"Punishing SNAP recipients means we all get to pay more at the grocery store," said Gina Plata-Nino, SNAP director for the anti-hunger advocacy group Food Research & Action Center.

In the past, lawmakers have proposed limiting SNAP benefits to cover only basic foods, such as bread, milk, and eggs.

Earlier waiver requests were rejected after USDA research found the restrictions would be expensive and complicated to enforce, and unlikely to change buying habits or reduce health problems such as obesity.

Under the second Trump administration, however, states were encouraged — and even given incentives — to apply for waivers, and many did so.

According to the Agriculture Department, SNAP waivers approved now and in the coming months will last for two years, with an option to extend them for up to three more. States must also evaluate the impact of the changes.

Health experts warned that the waivers don't take into consideration broader factors affecting the health of SNAP recipients.

Anand Parekh, a physician and chief health policy officer at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, said the policy fails to address two core issues: healthy food in the U.S. is often unaffordable, while unhealthy food is cheap and widely available.