New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has secured a 90-day extension for small retailers across the US to comply with revised food stocking requirements under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), following discussions with President Donald Trump and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. The extension takes effect on Friday and gives bodegas, corner stores and other small retailers additional time to meet the US Department of Agriculture's updated requirements. Stores were originally expected to comply by November 4.
Announcing the agreement on X, Mamdani said Trump had agreed to the extension after he raised concerns about the impact of the rules on small businesses. "I spoke with President Trump and he agreed to give small business owners across America at least a 90-day extension to comply with new SNAP rules," he wrote. "The concerns of the smallest businesses should always be raised to the highest levels of government."
The revised USDA guidelines set minimum food stocking requirements for retailers participating in SNAP, which provides grocery assistance to eligible low-income households. Under the rules, stores must stock at least seven varieties of food in each of four staple categories: dairy, grains, protein, and fruits or vegetables. They must also offer perishable food items in at least three of these categories. The requirements affect retailers that accept SNAP benefits, including small neighbourhood shops that serve communities with limited access to larger grocery stores.
Mamdani said the short deadline had raised concerns among small business owners and residents who depend on SNAP benefits to purchase groceries. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, he said the new requirements had created uncertainty for "more than a million New Yorkers" and "tens of millions more across America". He pointed to the limited availability of affordable grocery outlets, rising food costs and food deserts across New York City's five boroughs as factors that could make the changes harder for residents. "People already reckoning with a shortage of affordable places to buy what they need for their home, soaring costs at the register, and food deserts across the five boroughs, now feared that the few places they could shop would no longer be able to accept their benefits," Mamdani said. More than 100 bodega owners contacted the mayor's office to raise concerns about their ability to meet the revised stocking requirements within the original timeframe.
The proposed changes raised concerns that some neighbourhood retailers could lose their ability to accept SNAP payments if they failed to meet the new requirements. Advocates warned that this could leave people who rely on the programme with fewer places to purchase groceries, particularly in areas where small shops are among the only accessible food retailers. The Food Research and Action Center estimates that bodegas, convenience stores and small grocery shops account for approximately 70% of retailers participating in SNAP. Mamdani also warned that businesses unable to adjust their inventories within the deadline could face financial difficulties or risk closing. "For so many of our fellow Americans, whether they shop at a general store in Michigan or a convenience store in Missouri, would have struggled to use their benefits and feed those they love," he said.
