Eight states have now passed the start dates the U.S. Department of Agriculture lists for limits on what food stamps can buy: Utah, Indiana, Idaho, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Texas, Florida and Arkansas. Four more states are scheduled for November 1, and Nebraska follows on December 1. The limits mostly target soda and other soft drinks, and in several states candy.
Which states have already passed their SNAP start dates?
The Food and Nutrition Service, the USDA agency that runs the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, keeps a list of approved food restriction waivers, last updated October 13. Each state has its own target implementation date and its own list of banned items.
- Utah, January 1, 2026: soft drinks.
- Indiana, January 1, 2026: soft drinks and candy.
- Idaho, February 15, 2026: soda and candy.
- Oklahoma, February 15, 2026: soft drinks and candy.
- Louisiana, February 18, 2026: soft drinks, energy drinks and candy.
- Texas, April 1, 2026: sweetened drinks and candy.
- Florida, April 20, 2026: soda, energy drinks, candy and prepared desserts.
- Arkansas, July 1, 2026: soda, fruit and vegetable drinks with less than 50% natural juice, energy drinks, other unhealthy drinks and candy.
The USDA list gives these as target dates. It does not say, state by state, that each limit took effect on the day listed, so a household in any of these states should check the notice from its own state SNAP office.
Does my state’s EBT card still cover soda and candy?
For most households the answer depends on one thing: whether the state appears on the USDA list at all. A shopper in Utah or Texas is already past the listed start date. A shopper in Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina or Virginia has until the end of this month, and one in Nebraska has until December 1. The limits apply to what the EBT card can pay for at the register, not to what a person can buy with cash.
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Which states come next?
Four states are listed for November 1, 2026, which is 11 days away. Montana will restrict high-sugar beverages, energy drinks, candy and prepared desserts. North Dakota lists sweetened beverages, energy drinks and candy. South Carolina lists candy, energy drinks, soft drinks and sweetened beverages. Virginia lists sweetened beverages.
Nebraska is next after them. Its target date is December 1, 2026, for soda, soft drinks and energy drinks, with candy added March 1, 2027.
Who else is on the list, and who is not?
The USDA table has 23 state rows in all. After Nebraska, the later start dates are Hawaii on April 1, 2027, Ohio on April 1, 2027, Kansas on February 15, 2027, Missouri on February 15, 2027, Wyoming on February 1, 2027 and Nevada on February 1, 2028.
Four states are on the list with no start date because a court stopped them. On June 22, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ordered, in the case Aragon et al. v. Rollins et al., that USDA’s approval of the waiver be vacated and that the waiver’s implementation may not proceed. That order covers Colorado, Iowa, Tennessee and West Virginia. USDA’s page lists them as vacated by court order, not as delayed.
The waivers differ a great deal in scope. Iowa’s approved waiver had covered all taxable food items as defined by its Department of Revenue, while Utah’s covers soft drinks only. Ohio’s lists sugar-sweetened beverages and all fountain drinks.
Where does a household look for its own state’s rule?
The USDA page links each state to its own retailer notice or a SNAP web page. Several states, including Louisiana, Texas and Nebraska, have separate emails for recipients and for retailers.
The open question for a household in Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina or Virginia is what the card will decline at the checkout starting November 1. The state SNAP office sets the details, and the USDA table is the one federal list of the dates.
Need to know what your EBT card buys after November 1?
The limits change on different dates in different states, and a household can be caught out at the register on the day a state’s list takes effect. In Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina and Virginia that day is November 1, and in Nebraska it is December 1, with candy following on March 1, 2027.
The SNAP & Medicaid Renewal Organizer includes 51 state packs and a renewal and reporting calendar, so a household can keep its state’s rules and its recertification dates together in one place.
Get the state pack and calendar for the November 1 and December 1 SNAP changes →
More Financial Reading
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- 15 Places to Find Your Share of the $4.25 Billion States Give Back
- 15 Steps to Stop the Scams That Took $7.7 Billion From Seniors
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
