Can You Buy Alcohol with Food Stamps? Here’s What You Need to Know

SNAP recipients are not allowed to use funds for alcohol purchases, despite social media claims, aimed at preventing food starvation in low-income households.

Alcohol with Food Stamps: Users who receive money from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or its state-level counterparts are not permitted to use it to purchase alcohol, despite what some users on social media claim.

A post from 2023 has resurfaced, stating that the government program that assists low-income families and homes in avoiding hunger cannot be used to purchase alcohol.

It should be emphasized that it is illegal to do so, as the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service has already declared the claim untrue. If someone tries this, they risk rejecting their transaction attempt, being the subject of a fraud investigation, and maybe losing their SNAP program eligibility.

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Spokesman Cherish Meadows stated, “Beer, wine, or liquor absolutely cannot be covered by SAP benefits.” She also mentioned that the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program functions under the same guidelines.

The regulation in the SNAP program that states liquor outlets can accept EBT transactions if a customer is buying a sufficient amount of food, but any alcoholic beverages would still be refused, appears to be the source of the confusion.

In addition to tobacco items, vitamins, pet food, cosmetics, and other luxuries, alcoholic beverages are prohibited. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) allows the purchase of alcohol, but only under extremely narrow circumstances.

Alcohol with Food Stamps: With your EBT, what can you purchase?

SNAP EBT cards enable participants to buy a wide range of necessary food items, which is a significant kind of support. These consist of dairy products, breads, cereals, meat, poultry, fish, and fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, snacks, nonalcoholic drinks, and even seeds and plants that yield food for the family to eat can be purchased with SNAP benefits.

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This large range of acceptable goods makes sure that beneficiaries can choose healthy foods, which promotes a healthy diet. It’s important to know that you can’t use SNAP benefits to buy alcohol, vitamins, supplements, or ready-to-eat foods. You can also use them to buy other things.

However, foods that are hot when they are bought cannot be used.

Eduvast Desk