US grocers warn of $8 billion hit as food aid faces first-ever lapse

WASHINGTON, D.C.: U.S. supermarkets and food companies are bracing for a sharp downturn in sales next month as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which serves nearly 42 million Americans, faces its first-ever funding lapse due to the ongoing government shutdown.

Industry groups and economists warned that without congressional action or intervention from the