Arkansas SNAP Restrictions On Soda And Candy Still Set To Take Effect July 1
Arkansas SNAP recipients will no longer be able to buy soda and candy with EBT cards starting July 1, DHS said, even as a federal judge blocked similar restrictions in five other states.
Arkansans who receive SNAP benefits will no longer be able to buy soda, candy and certain other drinks with their EBT cards starting July 1, the Arkansas Department of Human Services said, even as a federal judge has blocked similar restrictions in five other states.
The change comes through what the state calls the SNAP Nutrition Waiver. State officials say the goal is to steer SNAP funds toward items with nutritional value. DHS distributes tens of millions of dollars in SNAP benefits across Arkansas each month.
The Arkansas rollout arrives days after a setback for the broader effort. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled the USDA lacked the legal authority to approve waivers changing the federal definition of “food.” Her ruling vacated restrictions in Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee and West Virginia.
Jackson wrote that Congress set the definition of food and did not give the agency power to waive it.
The USDA has approved similar waivers in 23 states and continues pursuing restrictions under the “Make America Healthy Again” initiative backed by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.
Arkansas was not part of the lawsuit. DHS said its waiver is still scheduled to take effect July 1.
What the waiver restricts
Starting July 1, these items cannot be purchased with an Arkansas EBT card: soda (regular, diet and low/no-calorie); candy; fruit and vegetable juices with less than 50% real juice; and ready-made sweetened coffee, tea drinks and energy drinks. Baby formula and nutritional supplement drinks remain eligible.
How it affects shoppers
All SNAP and Summer EBT cardholders must follow the new rules. Online grocery orders placed with SNAP must follow Arkansas policies. At checkout, restricted items must be paid separately with cash or card. SNAP cards used in other states follow that state’s policies.
More information is posted at ar.gov/SNAP, including a barcode-scanning app to check restricted items.