Five more states are set to stop SNAP benefits from covering certain drinks and candy in early 2027. Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri, Hawaii and Ohio all have target start dates between Feb. 1 and April 1, 2027, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s waiver table, last updated Nov. 3, 2026.
The changes arrive in three waves, and each state’s list of restricted items is a little different. Nebraska adds candy to its soda limits on March 1, 2027, and Nevada’s waiver does not start until Feb. 1, 2028.
Wyoming Goes First on Feb. 1, 2027
Wyoming’s waiver is the narrowest of the group. The state is removing “sweetened, carbonated beverages” from the list of items SNAP can buy, according to the USDA Food and Nutrition Administration’s food restriction waiver page, which lists a target implementation date of Feb. 1, 2027.
The state formally asked for the waiver on Jan. 7, 2026, and Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins approved it in a letter dated March 4, 2026. The approval runs for two years. Because the Wyoming language covers carbonated drinks that are sweetened, candy is not part of the state’s restriction.
For households in Wyoming, the practical change is at the soda cooler. Other grocery staples remain eligible, and families planning ahead for winter can still stock shelves with the kinds of food items worth keeping on hand before a supply disruption.
Kansas and Missouri Follow on Feb. 15, 2027
Two weeks after Wyoming, Kansas and Missouri both start on Feb. 15, 2027. Kansas is restricting candy and soft drinks, the federal table shows.
Missouri’s list is longer: candy, prepared desserts and certain beverages. Missouri’s waiver was approved on Dec. 10, 2025, with an original start date of Oct. 1, 2026. On June 15, 2026, USDA approved the state’s request to move that date to Feb. 15, 2027, and to adjust its restricted food definition, according to the agency’s Missouri waiver page. That page does not spell out the final item-by-item list, so shoppers will need to watch for state guidance before the start date. Readers following the federal program more broadly can also catch up on a new SNAP proposal that could affect household budgets.
The “prepared desserts” category is the one most likely to surprise shoppers, since it reaches beyond candy bars and soda into the bakery case. Food rules like these are not unique to the United States, as this roundup of laws and rules about food in other countries shows.
Hawaii and Ohio Start on April 1, 2027
The third wave lands on April 1, 2027. Hawaii is restricting soft drinks, and Ohio is restricting sugar-sweetened beverages and all fountain drinks, according to the USDA table.
Both dates moved. Hawaii’s waiver was first approved on Dec. 10, 2025, and on May 27, 2026, the state asked to change its implementation date. The agency then published a request for public comments on Hawaii’s project, noting the state asked for April 1, 2027. The Federal Register notice dated Sept. 15, 2026, set an Oct. 15, 2026, deadline for written comments.
Ohio was originally scheduled to start on Oct. 1, 2026. In early September, the state paused that plan after federal officials asked it to wait so the agency could publish a notice in the Federal Register and review public comments first, Cleveland 19 reported on Sept. 6. The station described the covered drinks as those with sugar, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup or other caloric sweeteners as the main ingredient, or as the second ingredient after carbonated water.
The “all fountain drinks” piece of the Ohio waiver matters for convenience stores and gas stations, where self-serve soda machines are common. Under the waiver, those cups would no longer be a SNAP purchase in Ohio after April 1, 2027. Households stretching the same benefit dollars can lean on freezer staples, such as freezing fresh green beans to use all year, and keep a short list of essential items to store in the refrigerator.
Nebraska and Nevada Come Next
Two more states have changes scheduled after the five 2027 starts. Nebraska’s restrictions on soda, soft drinks and energy drinks are set to begin Dec. 1, 2026, and the state adds candy to that list on March 1, 2027, the USDA table shows.
Nevada has the longest runway. Its waiver, which covers candy and sugar-sweetened beverages, carries a target date of Feb. 1, 2028. That leaves Nevada households more than a year before any change shows up at the register.
Four states that started earlier offer a preview of the checkout experience. Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina and Virginia all reached their target dates on Nov. 1, 2026, according to the same table.
What SNAP Still Covers in These States
The waivers narrow the list of eligible items; they do not change benefit amounts. Under the federal rules, SNAP still covers produce, meat, poultry and fish, dairy, bread and cereal, snack foods, nonalcoholic drinks that are not restricted, and seeds and plants that grow food, according to the USDA’s eligible food items page. Hot foods at the point of sale, alcohol, tobacco and nonfood items such as pet food and paper products were never eligible.
For a household, the shift mostly means splitting the checkout. A restricted soda or candy bar can still be bought with cash or a card, just not with the EBT balance. In practice, that can mean two payments for one grocery run.
The dates on the federal table have already shifted for Missouri, Hawaii and Ohio, so SNAP households in the five states should check their state agency’s notices in the weeks before each start date.
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Image: Allef Vinicius seteales – CC0/Wikimedia Commons
