Eligible Food Items
Households CAN use SNAP benefits to
buy:
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Foods for the
household to eat, such as: |
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-- |
breads and
cereals; |
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-- |
fruits and
vegetables; |
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-- |
meats, fish
and poultry; and |
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-- |
dairy
products. |
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Seeds and plants which produce food for the
household to eat. |
In some areas, restaurants can be authorized to
accept SNAP benefits from qualified homeless, elderly, or disabled
people in exchange for low-cost meals.
Households CANNOT use SNAP
benefits to buy:
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Beer, wine,
liquor, cigarettes or tobacco; |
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Any nonfood items, such as: |
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pet foods; |
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soaps, paper
products; and |
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-- |
household
supplies. |
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Vitamins and medicines. |
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Food that will be eaten in the store. |
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Hot foods. |
Additional Information
“Junk Food” & Luxury Items
The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (the Act) defines eligible
food as any food or food product for home consumption and also
includes seeds and plants which produce food for consumption by
SNAP households. The Act precludes the following
items from being purchased with SNAP benefits: alcoholic
beverages, tobacco products, hot food and any food sold for
on-premises consumption. Nonfood items such as pet foods,
soaps, paper products, medicines and vitamins, household
supplies, grooming items, and cosmetics, also are ineligible for
purchase with SNAP benefits.
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Soft drinks, candy,
cookies, snack crackers, and ice cream are food items and are therefore eligible items |
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Seafood, steak, and bakery cakes are also food
items and are therefore eligible items |
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Since the current definition of food is a specific part of the
Act, any change to this definition would require action
by a member of Congress. Several times in the history of SNAP,
Congress had considered placing limits on the types of food that
could be purchased with program benefits. However, they
concluded that designating foods as luxury or non-nutritious
would be administratively costly and burdensome. Further
detailed information about the challenges of restricting the use
of SNAP benefits can be found here:
Report --
Implications of Restricting the use of
Food Stamp Benefits
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Energy Drinks
When considering the eligibility of energy drinks, and other branded products, the primary determinant is the type of product label chosen by the manufacturer to conform to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines:
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Energy drinks that have a
nutrition facts label are eligible foods |
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Energy drinks that have a supplement facts label
are classified by the FDA as supplements,
and are therefore not eligible |
Live Animals
Live animals may not be purchased with SNAP benefits.
Pumpkins, Holiday Gift Baskets, and Special Occasion Cakes
Pumpkins are edible and eligible for purchase with SNAP benefits. However, inedible gourds and pumpkins that are used solely for ornamental purposes are not eligible items.
Gift baskets that contain both food and non-food items, are not eligible for purchase with SNAP benefits if the value of the non-food items exceeds 50 percent of the purchase price.
To read our most recent notice about Gift Baskets,
click here.
Items such as birthday and other special occasion cakes are eligible for purchase with SNAP benefits as long as the value of non-edible decorations does not exceed 50 percent of the purchase price of the cake.
Last modified:
02/14/2013
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