New SNAP stocking rules hit NYC bodegas Wednesday as USDA rejects Mamdani's plea for a delay

New federal rules on what a store must keep on its shelves to accept SNAP take effect on Wednesday, Nov. 4, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture is not delaying them, despite a request from Mayor Zohran Mamdani to give New York City's bodegas six more months, amNewYork reported Tuesday.

In a letter sent Monday to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Mamdani asked the department to push enforcement back to May 4, 2027. He wrote that, if enforced on schedule, the rule "could strip SNAP authorization from a significant number" of the city's bodegas and corner stores, according to amNY. POLITICO, which first obtained the letter, reported that a group of Republican senators and convenience-store trade groups have also asked the USDA for more time.

What stores must stock starting Nov. 4

The rule, finalized in May, carries out a 2014 law that raised the minimum variety a SNAP retailer must carry, according to the Federal Register notice. The USDA's guidance for retailers spells out the new minimums:

• Seven varieties in each of four staple food categories: dairy, grains, protein, and vegetables or fruits. That is 28 varieties, up from three per category.
• Three stocking units of each variety, for at least 84 items on display on any day the store is open.
• A perishable variety in at least three of the four categories, up from two.
• Some foods were moved to the "accessory" list and no longer count toward the minimum, including butter, jerky, snack bars and fruit spreads, amNY reported. Shoppers can still buy them with SNAP.
• Specialty food stores, such as butchers, fish markets and produce stands, are exempt.

Why the city says bodegas need more time

The mayor's letter said the USDA did not publish implementation guidance until Sept. 4, followed by a compliance calculator later that month and more instructions in October, leaving owners little time to figure out which products qualify, find distributors, rearrange shelves or buy refrigeration, amNY reported. More than 100 bodega owners have contacted the city with concerns, according to City Hall.

New York City has roughly 10,000 bodegas and corner stores, many with little shelf space. Bodega groups estimate that SNAP accounts for 15% to 20% of a typical store's sales, and as much as 30% for some owners in the Bronx, the letter said. About 1.6 million New Yorkers receive SNAP, according to the mayor.

What the USDA says

A USDA spokesperson told amNY that "compliance will be measured at authorization and reauthorization," and that the agency is available to help retailers. Existing stores are generally reviewed for reauthorization every five years, though the USDA can reassess a store at any time. The department also defended the rule as giving SNAP shoppers more healthy choices.

If a store is withdrawn from SNAP for not meeting the new standards, it can reapply six months after the withdrawal, according to the USDA's retailer FAQ. The new stocking rules are separate from the federal work requirements that have already cost thousands of New Yorkers their SNAP benefits.

For store owners

The USDA has posted a stocking standards calculator and sample shelf plans on its retailer page. The national convenience-store association, NACS, also asked the USDA last week for more time, saying some of the agency's mid-October answers had not yet been published.