Food stamp shoppers in Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina and Virginia lose the ability to buy sweetened drinks with their benefits starting Nov. 1, according to the target dates on USDA’s table of approved SNAP food restriction waivers. Candy comes off the card too in the first three states, and Nebraska is aiming to follow with soft drinks on Dec. 1 if USDA approves its new plan.
The restrictions were approved by USDA as state “waivers” of the federal definition of what SNAP can buy. Benefits cannot be spent on the barred items at checkout, so a household that fills a cart with them pays the difference from its own cash or another card.
What each state’s SNAP card will refuse
The Agriculture Department’s waiver table, last updated Oct. 13, spells out the product list for each state. The lists differ, which is why a shopper should check the row for the home state rather than assume the same rules apply across the four.
- Montana: high-sugar beverages, energy drinks, candy and prepared desserts. The state’s approval page carries a letter signed by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and a two-year term.
- North Dakota: sweetened beverages, energy drinks and candy.
- South Carolina: candy, energy drinks, soft drinks and sweetened beverages.
- Virginia: “sweetened beverages.” The Virginia page does not define the term and does not mention candy.
Virginia’s request came from the Virginia Department of Social Services, led by Commissioner Kevin Erskine, and USDA approved it for two years. Exactly where a given drink falls under “sweetened beverages” will be decided by retailers and the state agency, which have not published a product list on USDA’s page.
Is the home state on the list, and what changes at checkout?
A shopper in one of these four states who uses SNAP for groceries should expect the register to decline the listed items from Nov. 1, and should plan to set aside cash for soda, energy drinks and, in Montana, North Dakota and South Carolina, candy. A household that spends, say, $20 a week on soft drinks would carry that cost out of pocket, roughly $80 a month.
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The change applies to what the card can buy, not to the monthly benefit amount. The table lists restricted products only and shows no cut to allotments.
Where Nebraska stands
Nebraska’s earlier waiver was vacated by a federal court on June 22, so the state is not on a firm footing like the other four. A new proposal would bar soda, soft drinks and energy drinks from Dec. 1, 2026, and add candy on March 1, 2027, according to USDA’s request for comments.
The notice says the plan is not yet approved, that USDA may authorize or refuse it, and that written comments are due by Nov. 2. Any approval would be announced at least ten days before it takes effect.
Which states have been stopped by the courts?
The waiver table lists 23 state rows. Four of them, Colorado, Iowa, Tennessee and West Virginia, carry a notice that the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, in Aragon et al. v. Rollins et al., ordered USDA’s approval vacated on June 22 and said implementation may not proceed. That leaves 19 states with a standing date.
Several target dates are already behind the calendar, including Indiana and Utah on Jan. 1, 2026, and more run into next year:
- Kansas and Missouri: Feb. 15, 2027
- Wyoming: Feb. 1, 2027
- Hawaii and Ohio: April 1, 2027
- Nevada: Feb. 1, 2028
Dates on the table are target implementation dates, and states can ask USDA to change them. A shopper who moves between states, or who splits a winter between two homes, will meet different rules at each register.
Does a food rule change affect the renewal date?
Nothing in the waivers changes recertification. Renewal deadlines, income reporting and work-rule paperwork run on their own schedules, and a household that is busy adjusting its shopping can miss a notice and lose benefits for a month or more.
The state agency named on the card remains the place to confirm the recertification date. USDA’s waiver table is the free official route for checking a state’s restriction list and target date, and it is updated when a court or the department changes a row.
Will the new food rules crowd out a renewal date?
A card that suddenly declines sweetened drinks is easy to notice. A recertification letter buried in the mail is not, and a missed renewal can end benefits worth far more than the cost of the drinks.
“The SNAP & Medicaid Renewal Organizer” has 51 state packs, so the home state’s rules and contacts sit in one place, and a renewal and reporting calendar that puts each deadline on paper. Part 7, “Reporting Changes and EBT Problems,” covers what to tell the agency when a household’s situation or card changes.
Get the organizer with a renewal calendar for your Nov. 1 state rules →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Warren Cohen is a finance writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, covering personal finance topics including credit, banking, and beginner investing. He earned his degree in business administration from Arizona State University and began his career working in consumer finance, where he gained direct experience with lending and credit systems. He now writes for personal finance websites and fintech platforms, focusing on clear, practical content that helps readers make informed financial decisions.
