EBT Snap Scan

If you use SNAP benefits in Texas, you may have noticed that some items you used to buy with your Lone Star Card are no longer eligible.

Texas changed its SNAP food rules on April 1, 2026. Under the new rules, SNAP benefits can no longer be used to purchase candy or sweetened drinks in Texas.

That sounds fairly straightforward. In the grocery aisle, it can be much less obvious.

Is a sports drink a sweetened drink? What about flavored water? Does juice count? What happens with a drink that contains zero sugar but uses another sweetener?

These are exactly the kinds of questions Texas shoppers are running into.

What changed for Texas SNAP in 2026?

Beginning April 1, 2026, Texas SNAP recipients can no longer use SNAP benefits to purchase two categories of products:

• Candy
• Sweetened drinks

The change was approved through a USDA waiver requested by Texas. Previously, many products in these categories could be purchased under the standard federal SNAP rules.

The restriction applies when using SNAP benefits through the Texas Lone Star Card. It does not prevent anyone from purchasing these products with another form of payment.

What counts as a sweetened drink in Texas?

This is where the new rule can become confusing.

The restriction isn’t limited to products most people would call soda. Depending on the product and its ingredients, other sweetened beverages may also fall within the restriction.

That can include products shoppers might think of as:

• Soft drinks
• Sports drinks
• Energy drinks
• Fruit drinks
• Sweetened teas
• Flavored beverages
• Electrolyte drinks
• Other beverages containing added sweeteners

Not every beverage within one of these broad categories will necessarily receive the same result. The specific product matters.

What are Texas shoppers actually checking?

Since launching EBT Snap Scan, we’ve been able to see which types of products people are checking when they’re unsure about SNAP eligibility.

During the most recent 30-day period we analyzed, Texas accounted for 762 scans, about one-third of all scans in the app.

More importantly, 207 Texas scans triggered the sweetened beverage restriction, making it the most common state-specific restriction we saw across the entire app during that period.

People weren’t just scanning traditional sodas.

Texas shoppers checked products from brands and categories including Gatorade, BODYARMOR, Electrolit, Sparkling Ice, Capri Sun, SunnyD, Hawaiian Punch, Kool-Aid, Ocean Spray, Minute Maid, Arizona, Liquid I.V., Crystal Light, Olipop, Milo’s Sweet Tea, Jarritos, Fanta, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Red Bull and Alani.

That variety helps show why the new rule can be difficult to navigate in a real grocery store.

Can you buy soda with EBT in Texas?

Generally, sweetened soda cannot be purchased with Texas SNAP benefits under the rules that took effect April 1, 2026.

But shoppers should be careful about assuming that every carbonated beverage is treated the same way.

A product marketed as sparkling water, flavored water or another type of carbonated beverage may have different ingredients than a traditional soft drink.

The specific product matters more than where it happens to sit on the grocery store shelf.

Can you buy Gatorade with EBT in Texas?

Some sports drinks can fall under Texas’ restriction on sweetened beverages.

This is one of the reasons checking the specific product is important. Sports drinks, electrolyte beverages and hydration products can vary significantly in their ingredients and labeling.

Our app data shows that shoppers are checking products such as Gatorade, BODYARMOR, Electrolit, Propel and Liquid I.V., suggesting this is a particularly confusing category.

We’ll cover sports and electrolyte drinks in more detail in a separate guide.

Can you buy juice with EBT in Texas?

Juice is another category where the label matters.

A bottle that looks like juice may actually be a juice drink, fruit beverage, cocktail or another sweetened beverage. That doesn’t necessarily make it equivalent to a bottle of 100% fruit juice.

We’ve seen shoppers scan both 100% juices and products such as SunnyD, Hawaiian Punch, Capri Sun and other fruit beverages.

If you’re unsure, check the actual product rather than assuming all drinks containing fruit or fruit juice are treated the same way.

Can you buy energy drinks with EBT in Texas?

Energy drinks can be particularly complicated because SNAP eligibility can depend on how the individual product is classified and labeled, in addition to Texas’ restriction on sweetened beverages.

Products marketed as energy drinks don’t all have identical ingredients or labels.

Our users have already checked products from brands including Red Bull and Alani, along with other energy and hydration beverages.

We’ll be publishing a separate guide specifically covering energy drinks and SNAP eligibility.

Can you buy candy with EBT in Texas?

Candy is also included in Texas’ 2026 SNAP restriction.

If a product meets the state’s definition of candy, SNAP benefits cannot be used to purchase it with a Texas Lone Star Card.

Candy represented a smaller share of the restricted products scanned through EBT Snap Scan during our recent 30-day analysis. Sweetened beverages were much more common.

That doesn’t necessarily mean Texas shoppers buy less candy. It may simply mean beverages are creating more uncertainty about what qualifies under the new rules.

Why isn’t there just a simple list of products?

This is one of the biggest challenges with rules based on food categories.

There are hundreds of thousands of grocery products, new products are introduced constantly, recipes and ingredients change, and products that look similar can have important differences.

A shopper isn’t standing in the grocery store wondering whether “sweetened beverages” are restricted.

They’re wondering:

Can I buy this bottle of Gatorade?

What about this SunnyD?

Does this flavored sparkling water count?

That’s the problem EBT Snap Scan was created to help solve.

How EBT Snap Scan works

EBT Snap Scan lets you scan a product’s barcode with your phone.

The app uses available product information and SNAP eligibility rules to provide an easy-to-understand result for that specific product.

Depending on the information available, a product may be shown as likely eligible, restricted, not eligible or uncertain.

The uncertain result is important. Grocery product data isn’t perfect, and sometimes there isn’t enough reliable information available to confidently classify a product. We’d rather tell you that than pretend to know something we don’t.

The app also allows users to report results that don’t look right. That feedback helps us identify products that need additional review.

What can you still buy with SNAP in Texas?

The new Texas restrictions did not eliminate SNAP coverage for groceries generally.

Many traditional SNAP-eligible foods remain eligible, including categories such as fruits and vegetables, meat and poultry, dairy products, breads and cereals, and many other foods intended to be prepared or eaten at home.

The significant 2026 change is the additional Texas restriction on candy and sweetened drinks.

Check before you get to the register

Nobody wants to find out at checkout that something in their cart can’t be purchased with their SNAP benefits.

That’s especially frustrating when the rules surrounding the product aren’t obvious.

EBT Snap Scan was built to make that easier.

Scan the barcode while you’re shopping, check the result, and if we’re not confident about the product, we’ll tell you that too.

EBT Snap Scan is currently available for iPhone.

Sources

This guide is based on current information from the USDA Food and Nutrition Service and Texas Health and Human Services Commission regarding Texas’ SNAP food restriction waiver.

Last updated: September 28, 2026

EBT Snap Scan is an independent tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USDA, Texas Health and Human Services Commission or any government agency. Product information and eligibility rules can change. The app is intended to help shoppers understand available eligibility information and should not be considered an official determination of SNAP eligibility.