Soda and candy will soon be off-limits for Texas SNAP benefit recipients

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Starting April 1, 2026, people who use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, benefits in Texas will no longer be able to buy certain types of food, including sweetened drinks and candy.

Gov. Greg Abbott announced Tuesday that the federal government approved his request to ban the purchase of those items under SNAP.

“The new SNAP guidelines will ensure taxpayer dollars are used to purchase foods that provide real nutritional value," Abbott said.

The change means SNAP recipients will not be allowed to buy:

• Candy
• Drinks with artificial sweeteners
• Beverages with five grams or more of added sugar

In May, Abbott sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins requesting the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service allow Texas to restrict the purchase of what he called "unhealthy foods" with SNAP funds.

In the letter, Abbott wrote that, under the Trump administration, states now have more flexibility to “eliminate the opportunity to buy junk food with SNAP benefits and assure that taxpayer dollars are used only to purchase healthy, nutritious food.”

SNAP serves more than 3.2 million Texans each year and provides over $7 billion in taxpayer-funded support for food access, according to the governor’s office.