{"id":1646,"date":"2026-01-06T00:03:47","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T00:03:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/authorwebsitepublishing.xyz\/demo\/snap-restrictions-take-effect-in-five-states\/"},"modified":"2026-01-06T00:03:47","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T00:03:47","slug":"snap-restrictions-take-effect-in-five-states","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/authorwebsitepublishing.xyz\/demo\/snap-restrictions-take-effect-in-five-states\/","title":{"rendered":"SNAP Restrictions Take Effect in Five\u00a0States\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

January 5, 2026 \u2013 <\/b>Residents in five states are now restricted from using federal food assistance for soda, candy, and other foods, after waivers <\/span>signed<\/span><\/a> by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) began Jan. 1.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Food restrictions on purchases made through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) started last week in Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, and West Virginia. So far, 13 additional states have similar restrictions set to take effect later this year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The variability of each state\u2019s new restrictions are creating concerns and complexity for the retailers and grocers administering these shifts. That\u2019s because each state varies slightly in its restrictions and definitions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, West Virginia\u2019s waiver restricts soda, which it describes as a carbonated drink that contains water, a sweetener, and flavoring. In Iowa, which is considered to have the most restrictive waiver, SNAP recipients can now only use benefits for foods and beverages not subject to the state sales tax.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Under the Iowa waiver, SNAP users can buy a Twix bar because it contains flour\u2014which is not taxable\u2014but not a Snickers bar, according to the <\/span>Food Research and Action Center.<\/span><\/a> Other non-taxable foods include whole foods like fresh produce. This restriction also includes <\/span>new rules<\/span><\/a> on prepared foods to determine whether those are eligible for SNAP. For example, fruit that is cut and packaged in store and sold out of the produce case is eligible, while a fruit cup served with a spoon attached is not, according to the state\u2019s <\/span>policies<\/span><\/a> on taxable prepared food.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since the waivers were initially signed, groups representing retailers and convenience stores have asked states and the USDA for more clarity, like a set list of products that fall under a state restriction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So far, Oklahoma is the only state to provide such a list, which included about 18,000 items, according to a source in the retail industry.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On Dec. 30, the USDA did issue <\/span>additional guidance<\/span><\/a> to retailers on compliance and penalties related to these state restrictions. The agency set a 90-day grace period after the state implementation date before the agency begins enforcing the policies. After that point, if a retailer is found incorrectly allowing SNAP benefits for a restricted item, they will receive a warning letter after the first offense. With a second error, the retailer could be involuntarily removed from SNAP.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The National Association of Convenience Stores said the USDA\u2019s release of guidance on such short notice raises \u201cserious concerns\u201d for SNAP retailers still updating their systems and training employees.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis strict, two-strike penalty framework creates a real risk of driving retailers out of the program, which ultimately will limit food access for SNAP customers in the communities the convenience industry is proud to serve,\u201d NACS said in a statement. (Link to this post<\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

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The post SNAP Restrictions Take Effect in Five\u00a0States\u00a0<\/a> appeared first on Civil Eats<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

January 5, 2026 \u2013 Residents in five states are now restricted from using federal food…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1646","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/authorwebsitepublishing.xyz\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1646","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/authorwebsitepublishing.xyz\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/authorwebsitepublishing.xyz\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/authorwebsitepublishing.xyz\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/authorwebsitepublishing.xyz\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1646"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/authorwebsitepublishing.xyz\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1646\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/authorwebsitepublishing.xyz\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/authorwebsitepublishing.xyz\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1646"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/authorwebsitepublishing.xyz\/demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}