SNAP Healthy Food Recipients

The changes will take effect early 2026.

Florida made this change to better align SNAP with its intended purpose: providing low-income households access to a more nutritious diet to help alleviate hunger and combat malnutrition. By excluding soda, energy drinks, candy, and ultra-processed shelf-stable prepared desserts, the state is taking a proactive step to ensure SNAP benefits are used for more nourishing foods.

“Soda” refers to beverages made with carbonated water that are sweetened with added sugars or artificial sweeteners. This includes regular and diet sodas like regular Coca-Cola®, 7Up® , Diet Pepsi®, Diet Coke® , Coke Zero®, and Sprite Zero®.

SNAP benefits can still be used to purchase plain or naturally flavored sparkling waters such as LaCroix®, Waterloo®, Polar®, and Bubly®, or drinks that contain more than 50% juice or have less than 5 grams of added sugar per serving.

“Energy drinks” are drinks that contain 65 milligrams or more of caffeine per 8 ounces and are marketed to boost energy or alertness like Monster™, Red Bull™, and Celsius™.

Coffee, tea, and sports drinks like Gatorade® or Powerade® are not considered energy drinks and can still be purchased with SNAP benefits.

“Candy” includes products made from sugar or artificial sweeteners combined with chocolate, fruit, nuts, caramel, gummies, and hard candies or other ingredients or flavorings in the form of bars, drops, or pieces.

This includes bars like Hershey’s®, Snickers®, and Milky Way®, gummies like Haribo®, Sour Patch Kids®, and Twizzlers®, hard candies like Jolly Ranchers®, Lifesavers®, and lollipops, candy pieces like M&M's®, Starburst®, and Skittles®, and items like chocolate-covered nuts, toffee, and mints.

“Ultra-processed prepared desserts” means a processed, shelf-stable, ready-to-eat, pre-packaged sweet food intended for immediate consumption without any further preparation. This would include foods mostly made out of “chemically” modified substances extracted from foods, along with additives to enhance taste, texture, appearance, and durability, with minimal whole foods.

This includes snack cakes like Twinkies®, Ho Hos®, and Swiss Rolls, packaged sweets like Sno Balls® and Oatmeal Creme Pies®, and other products from brands like Little Debbie, Entenmann’s and Tastykake.

Freshly prepared baked goods can still be purchased with SNAP benefits.>

No, excluding these items from being purchased with SNAP benefits will not change the amount of benefits you receive.

SNAP recipients will maintain their current benefit amounts and are still able to use their benefits at SNAP-authorized retailers.

SNAP recipients will also receive updates through their MyACCESS portal, text messages, and program materials. Additionally, SNAP-authorized retailers will be provided in-store flyers to help identify ineligible items, which will be automatically blocked for purchase with SNAP benefits at checkout.

SNAP recipients will still be able to purchase the same healthy, nutrient rich foods they always have, including fruits, vegetables, grains, meat, dairy, and other staples. This reinforces the program’s key goal of ensuring that households with low income have access to adequate nutrition and better health.