SNAP provides extra food-purchasing assistance to eligible low-income households to supplement food budgets. The United States provided funding. SNAP benefits, which are administered at the state level by the USDA, can only be used to purchase eligible items.
Check whether or not that location accepts EBT cards as payment for meals. (Photo: NCOA.org)
What Items Can You Purchase With Your EBT Cards?
According to the USDA, EBT cards linked to SNAP accounts can only be used to purchase the following items:
- Vegetables and fruits
- Meat and seafood
- Dairy
- Cereals and breads
- Non-alcoholic beverages and snacks
- Plants and seeds that produce food for the household
READ ALSO: USDA Selects Oklahoma Among The 5 States To Test SNAP Contactless Mobile Payments
What Goods Can’t Be Purchased With EBT Cards?
Food that is hot when sold or food sold to be eaten in the store, in general, cannot be purchased with your EBT cards. This excludes rotisserie chicken and prepared deli foods as well. If your state participates in the Restaurant Meals Program, you may be able to use your SNAP benefits to purchase a hot meal at a restaurant.
The RMP is a state option that allows certain SNAP recipients who are unable to prepare meals for themselves to use their SNAP benefits to purchase prepared meals at restaurants.
The SNAP recipient must live in a state with the RMP, and all household members must meet at least one of the following eligibility criteria:
- 60 years old or older
- Disabled
- Homeless
- RMP is available to the spouse of a SNAP recipient.
- Only seven states currently participate in RMP: Arizona, California, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Rhode Island, and Virginia. However, RMP is not available in every county, and not every restaurant participates in the program.
If you’re eligible to use your SNAP benefits at restaurants, call ahead to see if the restaurant accepts EBT cards as payment for meals.
READ ALSO: SNAP Benefits End But New Mexico Governor Assures Food Security
