Nearly 2.7 million individuals receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits across five states will soon face new limits on purchases. The changes unfold over the next six weeks as part of the Trump administration’s effort to remove soda, candy, and other products from SNAP eligibility.
Implementation Schedule
South Carolina will initiate these rules on August 31, followed by North Dakota on September 1, Montana on September 30, and both Ohio and Virginia on October 1. The USDA’s recent list of SNAP food restriction waivers outlines these schedules.
As of April, the five states collectively had over 2.6 million SNAP participants. SNAP supports more than 35 million low-income Americans monthly, assisting with grocery costs. These changes don’t affect benefit amounts but block certain products from being purchased with SNAP at checkout. Restrictions differ by state.
State-specific Restrictions
South Carolina
South Carolina will prohibit SNAP purchases of candy, energy drinks, and soft drinks with added sugar, such as sweetened tea, fruit punch, lemonade, and sweetened coffee. Diet and zero-sugar beverages remain eligible. In April, there were 495,445 SNAP participants in the state, a decrease of 12.7% from the previous year.
North Dakota
Restrictions in North Dakota include candy, energy drinks, and sweetened beverages with added sugar, artificial sweeteners, or less than 50% real juice. Examples are soda, sweetened tea, lemonade, sports drinks, and bottled coffee. Caffeine-rich energy mixes and shots are also banned, while milk, drinks with high juice content, and unsweetened beverages remain eligible. North Dakota had 51,706 SNAP participants in April.
Montana
Starting September 30, Montana will ban candy, high-sugar beverages, energy drinks, and shelf-stable desserts. High-sugar drinks have over 10 grams of sugar per eight ounces, and restricted desserts include processed, ready-to-eat packaged sweets, excluding bakery items. Beverages with 50% or more real juice, along with artificially sweetened drinks, and dairy products remain eligible. The state recorded 71,103 SNAP participants in April.
Ohio
Beginning October 1, Ohio’s new rule affects the largest SNAP population in the five states. In April, 1,341,017 individuals received benefits. Ohio will stop covering drinks where sugar, corn syrup, or similar sweeteners are primary ingredients, as well as all fountain drinks. Beverages must not list these sweeteners as second to carbonated water.
Virginia
Virginia, with 710,416 SNAP beneficiaries as of April, will enforce its restrictions from October 1. Disallowed are soda, diet or zero-sugar soda, carbonated energy drinks, and beverages with at least five grams of added sugar per serving. Non-carbonated drinks like lemonade, iced tea, coffee, along with juice and milk, remain SNAP-eligible.
Debate Over SNAP Food Restrictions
The restrictions support the administration’s Make America Healthy Again initiative. USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins argues for focusing SNAP on nutrition. Some researchers advocate for removing sugary drinks, linking them to health issues like obesity and chronic diseases.
However, critics claim the restrictions reduce choices without addressing why low-income households buy less costly foods. Dietitian Staci Gulbin recommends promoting healthy food purchases, building more community food sources, and offering free nutrition counseling as proven strategies to empower individuals.
Legal and Policy Challenges
Additional states, including Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah, have already implemented similar restrictions. Legal challenges surfaced when a U.S. District Judge ruled the USDA overreached its authority, affecting SNAP restrictions in several states but not directly impacting Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, or Virginia.
These policy changes come amid a significant reduction in overall SNAP participation, with numbers falling by over 4.5 million after the implementation of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The USDA’s data highlighted that participation in the states with upcoming restrictions dropped by approximately 298,000 from April 2025 to April 2026.