{"id":238748,"date":"2026-04-20T10:53:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T10:53:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/238748\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T10:53:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T10:53:07","slug":"new-florida-snap-rules-take-effect-heres-what-you-can-no-longer-buy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/238748\/","title":{"rendered":"New Florida SNAP rules take effect. Here\u2019s what you can no longer buy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 A trip to the grocery store looks a lot different for millions of Florida SNAP recipients, as soda, candy, and energy drinks are now off the list. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The new crackdown comes thanks to <a href=\"https:\/\/fns-prod.azureedge.us\/sites\/default\/files\/resource-files\/snap-foodrestrictionWaiverApproval-florida.pdf#page=2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/fns-prod.azureedge.us\/sites\/default\/files\/resource-files\/snap-foodrestrictionWaiverApproval-florida.pdf#page=2\">a new pilot program<\/a>, which allows states to block the purchases of certain goods under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">[BELOW: Candy bars and more could soon be banned for SNAP recipients]<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">In the Sunshine State, SNAP recipients will no longer be able to use their benefits to purchase the following items next year:<\/p>\n<p>Soda \u2014 A beverage made with carbonated water that is flavored with added sugar or artificial sweeteners like corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, lactose, malt syrup, maltose, molasses, raw sugar and sucrose<\/p>\n<p>Does not include carbonated water that is plain or naturally flavored<\/p>\n<p>Does not include any beverage that is over 50% vegetable or fruit juice by volume<\/p>\n<p>Does not include a beverage with less than five grams of added sugar <\/p>\n<p>Energy drinks \u2014 A beverage containing at least 65 milligrams of caffeine per eight fluid ounces that are advertised as being specifically designed to provide metabolic stimulation or an increase to the consumer\u2019s mental physical energy<\/p>\n<p>Candy \u2014 A product involving the preparation of sugar or artificial sweeteners in combination with chocolate, fruits, nuts, caramels, gummies, and hard candies or other ingredients\/flavorings in the form of bars, drops or pieces<\/p>\n<p>Prepared desserts \u2014 A processed, shelf-stable, ready-to-eat, pre-packaged sweet food intended for immediate consumption without any further preparation<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The newly prohibited foods join a list of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fns.usda.gov\/snap\/eligible-food-items\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.fns.usda.gov\/snap\/eligible-food-items\">items that are already restricted<\/a> under the SNAP welfare program, including alcoholic beverages, tobacco and hot foods.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">How long will the restrictions last?<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The waiver governing these new restrictions will remain in effect for two years, through April 19, 2028. During that time, state officials are required to track and report on the outcomes of the program \u2014 data that could shape the future of SNAP policy both in Florida and beyond.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">[BELOW: News 6 investigates SNAP benefits scheme in Florida]<\/p>\n<p>Breaking News Alerts<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 kiwhtN\">Get breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox.<\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2025 by WKMG ClickOrlando &#8211; All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 A trip to the grocery store looks a lot different for millions of Florida SNAP&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":238749,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29,575,2161,571,2159,99,8527],"class_list":["post-238748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news","tag-food","tag-government","tag-health","tag-money","tag-politics","tag-taxes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238748","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=238748"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238748\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/238749"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=238748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=238748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}