TYLER, Texas (KETK) – In this week’s episode of East Texas In Focus, KETK’s Nolan Hoffman got to learn about how recent changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will affect East Texans at the grocery store.

SNAP restrictions on sugar intake to impact 3.4 million Texans

Starting on April 1, the State of Texas implemented new restrictions on SNAP that block Texas families from using the program to buy items that contain more than 5 grams of sugar or sweeteners like candy, soda, energy drinks, chocolate-covered fruit and chewing gum.

These new rules are affecting some 3.4 million Texans who use the SNAP program to help buy their groceries. Critics of the restrictions say they’ll make it harder for Texas families to get food while supporters and the State of Texas say the goal is to have families make healthier choices.

Nolan spoke with Feeding Texas CEO Celia Cole about the impact these restrictions will have on SNAP participants. One concern is that certain people actually need more sugar because of certain health conditions like diabetes, which can require a person to increase their blood sugar with a sugary snack or beverage if they have a rapid drop in blood sugar. According to Cole, those participants would now have to by those items with their own money.

Texas SNAP funding loss threatened by accuracy concerns

Even more changes to SNAP came to Texas as the state faced losing millions of dollars thanks to the “One Big, Beautiful Bill”, which would retract federal SNAP funding if the state didn’t meet new federal standards for payment accuracy.

This week’s episode of East Texas In Focus also featured United States Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

To hear what they have to say about recent changes to SNAP and more, check out this week’s full episode of East Texas In Focus at the top of this article.

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