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correspondence to: Jennifer L. Pomeranz, JD, MPH, College of lic Health, New York University, 41 East 11th Street, 7th Floor, NY 10003. E-mail: [email protected]. 97/$36.00 .doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2016.07.040 The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) supports 45 million people, mostly children, elderly, and disabled individuals, at risk for food insecurity. Congress’s Declaration of SNAP Policy states that the program’s goal is to alleviate hunger and malnutrition by raising the levels of nutrition among low-income households. SNAP has been found to successfully reduce food insecurity; however, the program does not seem to be meeting its nutrition-related goals. SNAP participants consume more foods associated with chronic disease, such as sugary beverages, and less foods considered healthful than income-eligible nonparticipants. As a result, SNAP participants’ Healthy Eating Index scores have been assessed to be 10% lower than low-income nonparticipants due to lower scores for fruits, vegetables, whole grains, solid fats, added sugar, and alcohol. Moreover, adult SNAP participants are significantly more likely to be obese than income-eligible nonparticipants. In February 2016, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued proposed regulations to “improve SNAP recipient access to a variety of healthy food options.” The regulations will require SNAP retailers to increase the amount of “staple” and “perishable” foods that they offer. If successfully implemented, the new policy would improve access to healthier foods, especially in small retail locations. However, this will not necessarily result in significant improvements in healthy food consumption by SNAP beneficiaries. The government has increasingly modernized and improved SNAP retailer requirements, but it has not substantially amended the definition of SNAP-eligible food since 1973, despite a nationwide obesity epidemic and evidence that the program is associated with poor nutrition. The USDA has the authority—but has thus far not used it—to conduct a pilot project to test whether amending the definition of SNAP-eligible food would improve nutrition outcomes for participants. This article summarizes the USDA’s new retail regulations and discusses barriers to success for both retailers and SNAP participants. It goes on to argue that the USDA should use its existing authority to pilot a project that tests updating the definition of eligible food to include standards that support the nutrition-related goals of the program.