South Carolina SNAP shoppers will soon face new restrictions on what they can buy with their benefits, including candy, energy drinks, certain soft drinks, and other sweetened beverages.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved South Carolina’s request to operate the food-restriction demonstration in December 2025, and the federal waiver was subsequently modified in August 2026. While the federal approval documents originally identified August 31, 2026, as the effective date, the South Carolina Department of Social Services’ current Healthy Food SC information says the updated SNAP-eligible food rules will begin November 1, 2026.
