Texas Bans Candy and Soda From SNAP Purchases Starting April 1

The Lone Star Card, for 3.3 million low-income Texans, has always functioned as a kind of grocery passport — a debit-style bridge to fruits, meats, cereals, and milk. Starting April 1, the card will no longer open the door to sweets, such as candy bars, gum, or sweetened drinks. The move makes Texas the first state in the nation to enforce such restrictions on its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program." As of early 2026, approximately 287,181 people in Dallas County, Texas, were receiving SNAP benefits.

Texas is leading the way in aligning SNAP benefits with healthier food options," Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. "By implementing these changes, we encourage better nutrition and ensure this program helps families access nutritional food." The restrictions, codified in Senate Bill 379 and signed during the 89th Texas Legislature, disqualify any beverage containing "5 grams or more of added sugar or any amount of artificial sweetener," as well as snacks that have been "candied, crystallized, glazed or coated with chocolate, yogurt or caramel," according to HHSC.

HHSC Executive Commissioner Stephanie Muth said the program’s changes are designed to foster "healthy eating habits that last a lifetime." But not everyone sees the measure as purely nutritional. Eric Cooper, president of the San Antonio Food Bank, told High Plains Public Radio that he hopes "the elimination of soda from the SNAP program doesn't diminish the dignity or the feelings of hope and love that food conveys."

Retailers statewide are now racing to update point-of-sale systems before the April 1 deadline.