Shoppers using SNAP benefits in South Carolina have had a narrower list of eligible groceries since the end of the summer. Candy, energy drinks and soft drinks stopped being purchasable with an EBT card at the register on August 31. The change comes from a federal waiver that runs for two years, so it is not a short pilot or a one-month experiment.
Food stamp households across the state now face the rule every time they scan a card. Anyone who has watched a basket total change at the checkout lane may be wondering exactly what the waiver covers, how long it lasts and what stays on the approved list.
What can an EBT card still buy in South Carolina? Everything that was eligible before the waiver stays eligible except the barred categories, which are candy, energy drinks, soft drinks and sweetened beverages. Staples such as bread, meat, produce, dairy and cereal are not named in the restriction, and cash benefits are not part of it.
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The federal waiver behind the South Carolina checkout change
USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service posts a page for each state that has asked to restrict what SNAP can buy. The South Carolina page says the waiver is effective Aug. 31, 2026 and is for two years. That puts the restriction in force from the end of August through the late summer of 2028 unless the terms change.
The same page says the state requested to exclude candy, energy drinks, soft drinks and sweetened beverages. A state cannot do this on its own, because SNAP purchasing rules are federal, and the waiver is the formal permission that lets the state apply a narrower list at the register.
Because the restriction is a waiver rather than a new national law, it applies only to purchases made in South Carolina with SNAP benefits. Households that travel and shop in another state are governed by that state’s own rules.
Candy, energy drinks and soft drinks are the named categories
Three of the four barred categories carry the headline: candy, energy drinks and soft drinks. The fourth, sweetened beverages, is listed alongside them on the USDA page and widens the soft drink category to cover sugary drinks that are not classic sodas.
The USDA page does not publish a separate definition for each category. It does record that on Aug. 3, 2026 USDA approved the state’s request to modify the definition of restricted soft drink in the waiver, a change dated before the Aug. 31 start. Households that are unsure whether a particular drink or sweet counts are in the position of reading the product label and relying on how the store’s register is set up.
The restriction applies to what is bought with benefits. A household can still pay for a barred item with its own money, but the EBT balance will not cover it.
How the South Carolina waiver compares with other states
South Carolina is one of a growing set of states on USDA’s food restriction waiver table, which lists each approved state with its start date and a link to the approval. The table is where anyone can see which states have restrictions running and which are scheduled to begin.
Not every approved restriction has survived. USDA’s Tennessee page is the comparison case, because Tennessee’s waiver was vacated, which means shoppers there are not under the same limits. A waiver in force in one state offers no guarantee of the same result in another, and the state page is the record that governs.
The state page and the summary table do not always show identical dates. For South Carolina, the state page carries the later update date, October 2, 2026, and it is the page that gives the Aug. 31 effective date.
Food stamp rules beyond the shopping list
A change to what an EBT card can buy does not alter the amount deposited each month. Benefit levels, recertification dates and reporting duties run on separate rules, and a household that misses a renewal can lose benefits regardless of what is on the approved list.
USDA keeps a separate page on SNAP work requirements, which explains the time limit that applies to adults who are able to work and the people who are exempt. Those rules changed under the 2025 law and are a different matter from the product restriction, but they matter for the same households.
For anyone planning a weekly shop, the practical step is to sort the cart before reaching the register. Barred items can be set aside or paid for another way so the transaction does not have to be split in line.
What does a South Carolina household do about the restriction now?
The waiver has been in force since August 31, and it will remain a feature of every shopping trip for roughly two years. Questions about a specific product are best answered by the retailer, and questions about eligibility or benefit amounts belong with the state agency that runs SNAP.
The USDA state page is the place to confirm the product list, the effective date and the term, since it is the record the agency updates when the waiver is modified. Households that keep a note of the categories and the dates can avoid surprises at the register.
Which groceries will still clear the register on the next South Carolina shop?
A card that is declined at the register for candy or a soft drink is a small problem next to a renewal or reporting deadline that slips past. The waiver has applied since August 31, and a household that is adjusting its shop is often also juggling recertification paperwork and change reports.
The SNAP & Medicaid Renewal Organizer walks through SNAP and Medicaid renewal and gives a date system so no renewal is missed. It includes 51 state packs and a renewal and reporting calendar, with a separate section on reporting changes and EBT problems.
Keep a state-by-state SNAP rules and renewal calendar kit for the next shop →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
