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SNAP Benefits Now Exclude Soda, Candy, Energy Drinks, And More
April 22, 2026
A visit to the grocery is now a bit different for millions for Florida SNAP recipients, as some “unhealthy” options are off the list.
A new pilot program allows states, like Florida, to block the purchases under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that are generally considered unhealthy.
What is not allowed?
Candy, soda,energy drinks, and ultra-processed desserts can no longer be purchased with SNAP.
What is considered soda?
“Soda” refers to beverages made with carbonated water that are sweetened with added sugars or artificial sweeteners.
Examples include regular and diet sodas and zero sugars like: Coca-Cola, Sprite, Diet Coke, Mr. Pibb, Coke Zero, Sprite Zero, Pepsi, 7UP, Diet Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, and Canada Dry. This also includes store brand varieties of regular, diet, and zero sugar sodas.
SNAP benefits can still be used to purchase sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade, plain or naturally flavored sparkling waters such as LaCroix, Waterloo, Polar, and Bubly, or drinks that contain more than 50% juice or have less than 5 grams of added sugar per serving.
What is considered energy drinks?
“Energy drinks” are drinks that contain 65 milligrams or more of caffeine per 8 ounces and are marketed to boost energy or alertness. Examples include Monster™, Red Bull™, Celsius™, 5-Hour Energy, C4 Energy. This also includes store brand varieties of energy drinks.
Coffee, tea, and sports drinks like Gatorade or Powerade are not considered energy drinks and can still be purchased with SNAP benefits.
What is considered candy?
“Candy” includes products made from sugar or artificial sweeteners combined with chocolate, fruit, nuts, caramel, gummies, and hard candies or other ingredients or flavorings in the form of bars, drops, or pieces.
This includes bars like Hershey’s, Snickers, Nestle Crunch, Ferrero Rocher, and Milky Way, gummies like Haribo, Sour Patch Kids, Annie’s Fruit Snacks, and Twizzlers, hard candies like Jolly Ranchers, Lifesavers, and lollipops, candy pieces like M&M’s, Starburst, and Skittles, and items like chocolate-covered nuts, toffee, and mints. This also includes store brand varieties of candy.
Trail mix containing candy, as defined above, is considered candy and is not an allowable purchase.
Granola bars, breakfast toaster strudels, breakfast biscuits like BelVita, and breakfast toaster pastries like Pop-Tarts can still be purchased with SNAP benefits, even when they contain sweeteners or chocolate.
What is considered ultra-processed desserts?
“Ultra-processed prepared desserts” means a processed, shelf-stable, ready-to-eat, pre-packaged sweet food intended for immediate consumption without any further preparation. This would include foods mostly made out of “chemically” modified substances extracted from foods, along with additives to enhance taste, texture, appearance, and durability, with minimal whole foods.
This includes snack cakes like Twinkies, Ho Hos, and Swiss Rolls, packaged sweets like Sno Balls, Oatmeal Creme Pies, Market Pantry Golden Crème Cakes, and Baker’s Treat Cup Cakes. This includes cookies like Chips Ahoy!, Keebler Chips Deluxe, Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies, Market Pantry Chocolate Chip Cookies, Oreos, Benton’s Original Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, and Great Value Twist & Shout Cookies. This also includes store brand varieties of prepared desserts that meet the defined restrictions.
Granola bars, breakfast toaster strudels, breakfast biscuits like Belvita, and breakfast toaster pastries like Pop-Tarts can still be purchased with SNAP benefits, even when they contain sweeteners or chocolate.
Freshly prepared baked goods can still be purchased with SNAP benefits.
Will benefit amounts be impacted?
No, excluding these items from being purchased with SNAP benefits will not change the amount of benefits received.
How will recipients know what can still be purchased?
SNAP recipients will also receive updates through their MyACCESS portal, text messages, and program materials. Additionally, SNAP-authorized retailers will be provided in-store flyers to help identify ineligible items, which will be automatically blocked for purchase with SNAP benefits at checkout.
What about other groceries?
SNAP recipients will still be able to purchase the same healthy, nutrient rich foods they always have, including fruits, vegetables, grains, meat, dairy, and other staples. Households with low income have access to adequate nutrition and better health, according to the program.
Comments
12 Responses to “SNAP Benefits Now Exclude Soda, Candy, Energy Drinks, And More”
This mainly messes with our reward system. We use food stamps because we are both 21 year old parents. Our kids are very young. We can’t afford to make it on our own with the price of rent and childcare. We don’t eat candy or many sweets at all.
Our son loves breakfast foods though. The pilsbury dough boy streudels are his favorite and now he can’t have them. He also can’t have a pop tart. The problem with this the problem with shelf stable snacks.
It must be nice to be able to sit back and judge other people and being able to say what people deserve and don’t deserve without even knowing circumstances. My husband and I work everyday and pay taxes but there was a time I was down and needed some help thankfully God brought me through that rough patch…My point is don’t judge if you’ve never been there. I’m sure it’s alot of old money on here so you’ll never know, so don’t speak on it.
Maybe they will lose some of that weight, the ones that need to
Good try there Bob with the soda and Diabetes 1. Since the person can not produce insulin on their own, it has to be injected into them regularly. Candy can be made to help with regulating the sugar levels but everything has to be monitored for their lifetime. Good try there with the soda though. Can always make your own and market it. Give it a try.
Its about time ,,!
Bring back Food Stamps. Swiping an EBT card for a buggy full of groceries is humane but displays no humility. Shame goes a long way when counting out stamps.
How does anyone have the right to say how I spend y’all’s hard earned EBT dollars? Don’t I deserve a moment of peace while my children drink a soda and eat a fruit pie after my long day at home waiting for them to get home from daycare?
First, I agree with the changes to the SNAP program. People should not be allowed to purchase junk food with our tax dollars.
But there is one caveat I have with the changes.
There should be an exception for Type I diabetics. Type I diabetics have to manage their sugar levels to make sure the levels do not decrease or increase to dangerous levels. Many Type I diabetics rely on high-fructose corn syrup to raise their sugar levels when they fall dangerously low. The high-fructose corn syrup reacts quickly and can save people’s lives.
I think there should be a process in place that allows Type I diabetics with SNAP to purchase soda!
This should have been done a long time ago. The next step should be SNAP/EBT recipients should only be allowed to pick up or receive very basic goods (cheese, eggs, vegetables, milk, etc) from a central government pantry, not from commercial grocery stores.
Stores might look into separating their merchandise by creating allowed and non allowed item sections. Otherwise they will have to hire additional personnel to haul all the non allowed items from the register back to their shelves.
The food give-away places and blessing boxes better stock up on non healthy products since this is what consumers are after and most are not willing to pay for them with their own money
It’s a start.
It’s a good start.