White House Announces Delay on SNAP Stocking Standards Enforcement
NACS has played a key role in advocating for the 90-day delay.
Nov 13, 2026 | 3 min read
This afternoon, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that enforcement of the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) new SNAP stocking standards will be delayed by at least 90 days, starting today.
“Today’s announcement is a victory for convenience retailers across the country,” said Margaret Mannion, a director of government relations at NACS and food policy expert. “NACS has been working to secure a delay of these standards for many months. We are appreciative of President Trump, Mayor Mamdani and USDA Secretary Rollins for acknowledging the importance of giving retailers more time to comply.”
Since the standards were announced in May of 2026, delaying enforcement has been a top priority for NACS.
“We have been working around the clock with our retailers and policymakers to find a solution for months,” said Mannion. “We’ve coordinated with Mayor Mamdani’s office, held countless meetings with our coalition partners, and worked directly with several members of Congress and the administration to encourage the delay that was announced today.”
Among NACS’ efforts were three official letters to USDA Sec. Brooke Rollins—including one that was signed by 12 U.S. Senators and another that was signed by nearly 250 retailers—requesting a delay in enforcement.
NACS has been supportive of the idea of updated standards since they were announced. However, the standards are complex, and retailers who are unable to comply risk losing their SNAP authorization.
“If convenience retailers are unable to participate in SNAP, that means the families that depend on SNAP to buy food have fewer retail options,” said Mannion. “Nearly half of all SNAP retailers are convenience stores, and more than 117,000 convenience stores participate in the program. These stores are particularly important in rural and urban areas—like New York City—which may have limited food retail options.”
Because of the new standards’ complexity, it has been challenging for convenience stores to make the necessary arrangements to comply, including revising supply chains and determining how to allocate limited floor space for increased inventory. While USDA provided additional guidance for retailers on October 30, that was approximately three business days before the original compliance deadline of November 4.
“Retailers now have a reasonable amount of time to change their operations,” said Mannion. “These standards increase the amount of healthy food on shelves. Thanks to President Trump and Mayor Mamdani, retailers have the time they need to make sure that they can continue to serve SNAP customers."
