The SNAP program could face some major changes under the Trump administration. 

Newly confirmed Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins indicated a desire last week to work with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. to reevaluate SNAP eligibility for certain foods like soda and candy, telling Fox News, “[W]e shouldn’t be subsidizing people to eat poison.”

Restricting food choice with SNAP benefits has proven challenging for federal and state legislatures before, but the Trump administration might have enough momentum now, The Associated Press noted. 

Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress are reportedly eyeing slashing $230 billion from SNAP as part of ambitious cuts aimed at lowering taxes. If they do cut SNAP by that amount, the program would reduce food assistance by roughly 23%, Rep. Angie Craig noted in a press release.  

SNAP households account for nearly a quarter of consumer goods spending in the U.S., according to consumer insights and data firm Numerator. SNAP households spend 32% more per person and make more trips to the store than households not receiving the government benefit, according to a Circana report from late 2024 — making them a key shopper cohort that retailers pay close attention to. 

Right now, the grocery industry has more questions than answers: Will SNAP funding end up getting cut and, if so, by how much? How would SNAP cuts impact spending at grocers? Would any of these potential changes influence what SNAP consumers buy, where they shop or how much they spend? 

Given SNAP’s prominence in the grocery space, the industry will need to remain vigilant and ready to quickly adjust to meet SNAP consumers’ needs.

In case you missed it

FDA’s top food safety official quits

The regulatory agency’s deputy commissioner for human foods, Jim Jones, has resigned in the wake of the Trump administration’s decision to fire dozens of staff members who worked in his department, according to a Monday report by Food Fix. 

Jones, who joined the FDA in September 2023 as its top food safety official, said in his resignation letter that he felt it would be “fruitless” for him to remain in the role after nearly 100 of the 2,000 workers on the team he oversaw were let go last weekend, The New York Times reported.

Chicago considers opening public food retail space

Leaders of the Midwestern city are working on plans for a city-owned public market that would make low-cost space available to local food vendors in addition to selling basic goods like bread and milk, the Chicago Tribune reported. 

The idea replaces an earlier proposal by Chicago officials to develop a public grocery store to serve people in areas without ready access to supermarkets. The city is also looking into rolling out programs to help people learn how to operate a grocery business and provide training to retailers, according to the Tribune.

Loblaw to add dozens of stores

The Canadian food retailer said this week that it plans to open 80 new locations during 2025 as part of a 2.2 billion Canadian dollar ($1.5 billion) investment plan. The stores will fall under Loblaw’s No Frills, Maxi, Shoppers Drug Mart, Pharmaprix and T&T banners. The grocer also plans this year to renovate over 300 existing grocery stores and pharmacies, debut about 100 Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacy care clinics and open a 1.2 million-square-foot supply facility near Toronto.

Impulse find

Bananas with reptile skin, anyone?

Unpacking produce might be about as routine as it gets for supermarket associates, but when workers at a Market Basket store in New Hampshire handled a load of bananas last week, their experience was hardly ordinary.

As the employees worked with the shipment, they found an ornate cat-eyed snake among the thick-skinned fruit, USA Today reported. According to a Facebook post by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division, the reptile — which belongs to a “mildly venomous” snake species native to Ecuador — was unharmed and placed with an animal rescue service.