The United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has issued policy about which foods are eligible for purchase with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, known as CalFresh in California) benefits.
In general, food items intended for human consumption are eligible for purchase with SNAP. This includes cooking ingredients normally consumed only after being incorporated into food with other ingredients, vegetable products imparting flavor to food and items not labeled as food such as water and ice.
Certain non-food items can also be purchased with SNAP including
- garden seeds and plants used to produce food for human consumption
- military commissary surcharges
- container deposits under state law
- sales tax only if it is included in the shelf price of an eligible item.
Items excluded from purchase with SNAP include:
- alcohol
- tobacco and nicotine delivery products
- hot food, which is defined as foods and beverages that are hot at the point of sale
- prepared food intended for on-premises consumption, but prepared food intended for off-premises consumption is eligible as long it is not hot at the point of sale
- firearms, ammunition and explosives
- medicines and dietary supplements; live animals, except for shellfish
- fish as long as they are removed from water prior to removal from the sales premises, and other animals live at the point-of-sale if they are slaughtered prior to removal from the premises
- gift baskets if the value of non-food items is over half of the purchase price
- non-food items
- fees, including retailer fees for the delivery of food and grocery bag fees
- sales tax unless it is included in the shelf price of an item.
(RPMD Policy Memorandum 2018-2, January 16, 2018.)