Households that use SNAP, the program long known as food stamps, will lose the ability to buy sweetened drinks with their benefits in Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina and Virginia starting Nov. 1. The U.S. Department of Agriculture lists that date for all four states. Montana, North Dakota and South Carolina also take energy drinks and candy off the eligible list, while Virginia’s entry names only “sweetened beverages.”
The changes come through state food-restriction waivers. A waiver is a federal approval that lets a state bar certain purchases with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. The agency’s table puts the four November states under a column headed “Target Implementation Date,” and they are the next entries on the calendar. Nebraska follows on Dec. 1.
What changes at the register depends on the state and the aisle. In Virginia, the rule reaches the drinks aisle. In Montana, North Dakota and South Carolina, the candy shelf and the energy drink cooler are affected as well, and Montana’s row adds prepared desserts. Shoppers who pay with an EBT card, the benefit card SNAP households use, will need another way to pay for those items after Nov. 1, or a different cart before then. The USDA waiver table carries each state’s own list.
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What each of the four states restricts
The table lists a different set of products for each state. The wording below follows the table’s entries for the Nov. 1 states.
- Montana: high-sugar beverages, energy drinks, candy and prepared desserts.
- North Dakota: sweetened beverages, energy drinks and candy.
- South Carolina: candy, energy drinks, soft drinks and sweetened beverages.
- Virginia: “sweetened beverages.”
Virginia is the narrowest of the four. Its entry does not list candy or energy drinks, so a Virginia shopper’s candy purchases are not named in the table. The three other states each name candy and energy drinks.
Why Nov. 1 matters for a monthly benefit
SNAP benefits arrive once a month on a card, and a household that buys soda or candy with part of it often plans around that. For scale, USDA’s fiscal 2027 allotment chart sets the maximum monthly benefit for a one-person household at $306. Drinks and sweets that no longer qualify have to be paid for out of money outside that benefit.
The same guidance sets a $4,750 asset limit for households that include a member age 60 or older or a member with a disability. The restriction list applies to those households in the same way as to any other.
Where the four states sit among 23 waiver entries
USDA’s table has 23 entries in all. Four of them, Colorado, Iowa, Tennessee and West Virginia, show “Vacated” with a court-order note instead of a date. The note says the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, in Aragon et al. v. Rollins et al., ordered on June 22, 2026 that the agency’s approval of those waivers be vacated and that they may not go forward.
That leaves 19 entries that carry a target date. Eight of those dates have already passed: Indiana and Utah on Jan. 1, 2026, Idaho and Oklahoma on Feb. 15, Louisiana on Feb. 18, Texas on April 1, Florida on April 20 and Arkansas on July 1. The other 11 are still ahead, starting with Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina and Virginia on Nov. 1. The table shows no court-order note on any of the four November states.
Which states come after November
Nebraska’s entry is dated Dec. 1, 2026, with candy added March 1, 2027. Wyoming is listed for Feb. 1, 2027, and Kansas and Missouri for Feb. 15, 2027. Hawaii and Ohio are listed for April 1, 2027, and Nevada for Feb. 1, 2028.
A household that moves between states, or splits time with family in another state, faces whichever list is in force where the card is swiped. A state’s date can also change on the table, so the entry for the state in question is the one to read before a move or a long trip.
Shopping in Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina or Virginia before Nov. 1?
Each state’s entry on the table spells out which drinks, candy and desserts come off the list on that date.
A household that learns about the Nov. 1 change at the register is often the same one that has a recertification date, a work-rule clock or a reporting deadline coming up. Missing any of those can stop the card from loading at all, which costs far more than a few blocked items.
The SNAP & Medicaid Renewal Organizer pulls those dates into one place. It includes a renewal and reporting calendar, the SNAP work-rule time limit and who is exempt, and a pack for each of the 51 states, which covers Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina and Virginia.
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
David M. Keller is a finance writer based in Columbus, Ohio, covering personal finance and consumer-focused economic topics. He earned his degree in journalism from Ohio University and began his career reporting on local business and economic trends for a regional media outlet. Since then, he has contributed to a variety of online publications, focusing on clear, practical coverage of topics such as cost of living, debt, and everyday financial decision-making.
