Starting tomorrow, shoppers using SNAP EBT cards in Oklahoma will find candy and soft drinks off-limits at checkout statewide. That means no chocolate bars, gummies, hard candies or other sweets on SNAP, and no sweetened bottled or canned drinks, while staples like meat, dairy, bread and 100% juice stay eligible. The Oklahoma Department of Human Services says benefit amounts are not changing and households will continue to receive their monthly payments as usual.
What is being blocked
According to the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, Oklahoma's approved waiver modification tightens SNAP's definition of eligible food to exclude "candy" and "soft drinks" and includes detailed lists of what falls into those categories. For candy, the state definition covers chocolate bars, hard candies, gummies, caramels, taffy, licorice, mints and chewing gum. For beverages, excluded items include carbonated sodas, energy and sports drinks, sweetened bottled or canned teas and lemonades, and flavored waters. Items that remain explicitly eligible include 100% fruit or vegetable juice, milk and many other staple grocery items.
How checkout and enforcement will change
At the register, EBT payments will be declined for restricted UPCs so the card only covers items that are still defined as eligible. As reported by FOX 25, Oklahoma DHS said enforcement will be handled by federal partners at the Food and Nutrition Service and that SNAP customers don't need to take any action.
Retailers face compliance rules
Federal guidance instructs stores to put the restrictions in place at the UPC level and to confirm compliance before the project begins. Failure to comply can lead to withdrawal of a store's SNAP authorization. The USDA Retailer Notice also lists OKDHS contact information for questions and urges retailers and third-party e-commerce platforms to update systems ahead of the change.
Part of a larger rollout
Oklahoma's move is one of more than a dozen state demonstration waivers that the USDA has approved that limit purchases of sugary drinks, candy or other non nutritive items, with timing and scope varying from state to state. A recent analysis of approved waivers by researchers at the National Library of Medicine highlights how start dates and specific item lists differ across these demonstrations.
What SNAP households should do
Households that rely on SNAP can still buy the newly restricted items with cash or a debit or credit card, and benefit amounts and eligibility rules remain unchanged. If you are not sure whether a product will be allowed at checkout, you can ask a store employee, look for any UPC signage the store provides, or contact OKDHS for guidance. The agency has said recipients do not need to take immediate action, as per FOX 25.
Legal and enforcement
The approved demonstration applies statewide to all SNAP households and does not give households an option to opt out. FNS requires Oklahoma to evaluate the project and reserves the authority to terminate the waiver if it is found to be inconsistent with SNAP goals. Retailers are responsible for putting UPC-level controls in place and can face compliance warnings or loss of SNAP authorization under federal rules if they do not update their systems correctly.
