Starting Jan. 1, 2026, Floridians who receive Supplemental Assistance Program (SNAP) funding will no longer be allowed to use those funds to purchase sodas, energy drinks, candy or prepared desserts.

In a letter dated Aug. 4, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins approved the request from Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) to conduct a two-year study on restrictions of foods allowed for purchased with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding.

“The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is pleased to approve the request dated May 29, 2025, from the Florida Department of Children and Families to allow the state to operate a novel demonstration project to amend the statutory definition of food for purchase by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients from "any food or food product for home consumption" to exclude soda, energy drinks, candy, and prepared desserts. This approval, subject to the enclosed terms and conditions, is for two years effective Jan. 1, 2026.

“Due to the novel design of the project, FNS is committed to carefully and comprehensively evaluating how waiving the state's definition of food in this way impacts SNAP participants and retailers. FNS will carefully review the results of the project, based on the evaluation data provided by the state and other available information.

“FNS will continue to collaborate with the state, and any potential evaluation contractor to finalize data collection points, define key metrics, and outline any necessary data analysis for the quarterly evaluation reports, as well as finalize key implementation parameters such as a threshold standard for participating retailers,” Rollins wrote.

According to FCF, SNAP eligibility rules are, for the most part, set at the federal level. SNAP funds are provided through Electronic Benefits Cards (EBT).

SNAP provides nutritional support for low-income seniors, people with disabilities living on fixed incomes, and other individuals and families with low incomes. SNAP is a federal program administered by the Florida Department of Children and Families Office of Economic Self-Sufficiency (ESS). ESS is responsible for determining eligibility for SNAP using federal guidelines.

Individuals must pass all eligibility rules to receive food assistance benefits.  

Individuals are ineligible for SNAP if they:

• are convicted of drug trafficking,
• are running away from a felony warrant,
• purposely break Food Assistance Program rules,
• are noncitizens without a qualified status, or
• are a student who attends an institution of higher education at least half time, in some circumstances.

Households can use food assistance benefits to buy breads, cereals, fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, poultry, dairy, and plants and seeds to grow food for your household to eat. Households cannot use food assistance benefits to buy nonfood items such as pet foods, soaps, paper products, household supplies, grooming items, alcoholic beverages, tobacco, vitamins, medicines, food to eat in the store, or hot foods.