Ahmad Austin Jr.May 8th, 2026, 2:14 pm

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Friday boasted about the Trump administration removing jerky as a protein covered under the SNAP program.

Rollins joined Fox News on Friday morning to discuss the administration’s efforts to crack down on alleged SNAP fraud. During the interview, Rollins also touched on changes being made to the types of food those with SNAP benefits will be able to buy. Since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, Rollins — as well as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — have vowed to improve nationwide health by reducing the consumption of unhealthy foods. Part of that mission was the elimination of such foods from the SNAP program.

Rollins continued:

So many of our communities get most of their groceries from the corner gas station or the bodega. So what are we doing? So, we just announced instead of only stocking 12 real food staple items, if you’re going to accept the taxpayer dollar under the SNAP program, you now have to stock at least 28 of those real foods.

We’re closing the loopholes. Before, if you had jelly on your shelf, that counted for a fruit, and if you had jerky hanging there, that counted for a protein like a rotisserie chicken, but no more. So, we’re moving the people off of SNAP that shouldn’t be on. We’ve had 1,000 arrests of people who’ve been fraudulently taking advantage of the program. We’ve granted 22 waivers — no more soda, no more junk food in 22 states around America. Hopefully, that number is expanding — if you’re using SNAP dollars. And now, the next step is to make sure we’ve got real, nutritious food on the shelves of the stores that are taking the food stamp.

A February report from The New York Times analyzed the pros and cons of jerky. While they are a legitimate source of protein with relatively low calories, jerky snacks can be high in sodium. Additionally, processed meats are carcinogenic and can increase the risk of cancer if consumed on a regular basis. Ultimately, experts believe that jerky should be consumed occasionally and not regularly.

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