SNAP Grocery Restrictions Spread to 4 More States, and Some Everyday Items Are Now Off the List

SNAP shoppers in Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina, and Virginia are now facing new limits on what they can purchase with their benefits.

The four states put expanded SNAP purchase restrictions into effect on November 1, 2026. But the rules are not identical. A product that remains eligible in one state may require another form of payment in another, making the differences especially important for shoppers who cross state lines.

These changes affect how SNAP benefits can be used. They do not mean the restricted products have been removed from grocery shelves.

At checkout, shoppers can still purchase a restricted item with another accepted payment method.

Montana

Montana’s restrictions cover several categories, including candy, high-sugar beverages, specified energy drinks, and shelf-stable prepared desserts.

The state’s definition of a high-sugar beverage is specific. It covers nonalcoholic carbonated or flat beverages containing more than 10 grams of added sugar per eight fluid ounces.

Montana also has a specific definition for energy drinks. Its rules identify beverages containing more than six milligrams of caffeine per fluid ounce or more than 140 milligrams per container when combined with ingredients such as taurine, guarana, or herbal extracts.

That does not mean every bakery item or sweetened beverage is automatically restricted.

Montana lists baking ingredients, store-made bakery items, protein and meal-replacement bars, milk and milk alternatives, and specified zero-sugar waters among products that remain eligible for SNAP purchases.

The state also says the waiver does not reduce monthly benefit amounts or change general SNAP financial eligibility.

North Dakota

North Dakota’s restrictions focus on specified sweetened beverages, energy drinks, and candy.

The state’s examples include soda, sweetened tea, sweetened lemonade, juice drinks with added sugars, sports or electrolyte drinks, bottled coffee drinks with added sugar, powdered electrolyte drinks, and electrolyte tablets.

Its guidance also covers drink mixes and concentrated or ready-to-mix ingredients for liquid or frozen beverages.

At the same time, North Dakota identifies several products that remain eligible. These include milk and milk substitutes, infant formula, unsweetened beverages, seltzer without added sugar or artificial sweeteners, 100% juice, protein bars, granola bars, cereal bars, and baking ingredients.

The state’s guidance makes the checkout rule clear: a restricted item can still be purchased, but the shopper must use another way to pay.

North Dakota also says its in-store restrictions apply regardless of which state issued the shopper’s SNAP benefits. For online orders, the state describes its restrictions in terms of orders delivered to a North Dakota address.

South Carolina

South Carolina’s Healthy Food SC initiative also took effect November 1 and is described by the state as a two-year initiative.

Its restrictions cover candy, energy drinks, soft drinks, and other sweetened beverages.

But South Carolina has one notable difference from some of the other states: diet and zero-sugar soft drinks remain allowable SNAP purchases.

The state also excludes several types of beverages from its restrictions. These include milk and milk substitutes, qualifying juice beverages, infant formula, sports or rehydration beverages, carbonated water beverages, and specified medical-use beverages.

For a qualifying juice beverage to fall within the state’s exclusion, it must contain at least 50% natural fruit or vegetable juice and have no added caloric sweetener.

South Carolina also applies its rules to SNAP purchases made at authorized retailers within the state, regardless of where the shopper’s SNAP benefits were issued.

Its online guidance adds another layer. Orders packed in a walk-in store follow the food rules of the state where that store is located.

Virginia

Virginia’s rules show just how different these state restrictions can be.

The state’s retailer notice restricts specified carbonated sweetened beverages. The list specifically includes soda, diet soda, zero-sugar soda, and carbonated energy drinks.

That means diet soda is treated differently in Virginia than in South Carolina. South Carolina explicitly allows diet and zero-sugar soft drinks, while Virginia’s notice specifically includes them among restricted beverages.

Virginia also takes a different approach to noncarbonated drinks.

The USDA retailer notice says, “All non-carbonated beverages (no fizz) will remain SNAP-eligible.”

The examples listed as remaining eligible include milk, juice, infant formula, sports drinks, iced tea and lemonade.

Candy and prepared-dessert restrictions from another state should not automatically be applied to Virginia. The state’s published notice establishes its own restricted and eligible categories.

Why the differences matter

The four states demonstrate why there is no single product list that shoppers can use everywhere.

Something as ordinary as a diet soda can produce different results depending on where the purchase is made. Packaged desserts, bakery products, sports drinks, and beverage categories can also be treated differently under individual state rules.

That matters for shoppers who live near a state border or regularly shop across state lines.

The state that issued an EBT card does not necessarily determine the rules at every retailer. North Dakota and South Carolina specifically explain that their restrictions apply to SNAP purchases at authorized retailers within their states.

The practical question at checkout is whether the item is eligible for SNAP benefits under the rules governing that purchase.

These products are not banned

A restricted product is not necessarily prohibited from being sold.

North Dakota explains that shoppers can still buy restricted items by using another payment method. South Carolina likewise distinguishes between products that cannot be purchased with SNAP benefits and products that remain available for purchase.

That means a shopper may encounter an item on a store shelf but find that SNAP benefits cannot be used to pay for it.

The difference is about how the purchase is paid for, not whether the product can be sold.

A separate federal change took effect November 4

The November 1 state restrictions should also be kept separate from another federal change that took effect three days later.

On November 4, 2026, USDA updated its SNAP retailer-stocking guidance concerning products classified as accessory foods. Certain snack bars, jerky, shake powders, cheese dip, fruit spreads, and butter can still be purchased with SNAP unless an applicable state waiver restricts them.

Their classification as accessory foods does not create a nationwide SNAP purchase ban.

For shoppers, the simplest approach is to check the rules that apply in the state where the purchase is made. Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina, and Virginia may all have SNAP restrictions in place, but the details are not interchangeable.