New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has secured a 90-day delay in the implementation of new food stocking requirements for retailers participating in the US Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), giving bodegas and convenience stores across the country more time to comply.
Mamdani said the extension would take effect on Friday following discussions with US President Donald Trump and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.
The new guidelines, introduced by the US Department of Agriculture, were due to take effect on November 4. They require participating retailers to stock at least seven varieties of food in each of four staple categories: dairy, grains, protein, and fruits or vegetables.
Stores must also ensure that perishable products are available in at least three of those categories.
Mamdani said the rules had created uncertainty for more than a million New Yorkers and tens of millions of people across the country who depend on SNAP benefits to purchase groceries.
He warned that the requirements could make it difficult for low-income households to access food, particularly in neighbourhoods where small convenience stores and bodegas are among the few available grocery retailers.
“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,” Mamdani said.
The Food Research and Action Center estimates that bodegas, convenience stores and small grocery stores account for approximately 70 per cent of SNAP retailers.
Mamdani said small businesses faced the risk of losing customers or shutting down if they could not meet the new stocking requirements within the original timeframe.
More than 100 bodega owners contacted his office to raise concerns about the changes. New York City has more than 10,000 bodegas and corner stores across its five boroughs, according to the city’s Department of City Planning.
The 90-day extension is intended to give retailers additional time to adjust their inventories while continuing to accept SNAP benefits.
