South Carolina is delaying implementation of a program that will restrict the types of food that can be purchased with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture notified the state earlier this week that implementation of the Healthy Food SC project should be delayed until Nov. 1. The program was previously scheduled to begin Aug. 31.
Approved by the USDA in December 2025, the program will prohibit SNAP benefits from being used to purchase candy, energy drinks, soft drinks and other sweetened beverages. Diet and zero-sugar soft drinks will remain eligible for purchase.
The USDA said its Office of the General Counsel and the U.S. Department of Justice are continuing to review court orders that overturned similar SNAP restrictions in other states including Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee and West Virginia.
Gov. Henry McMaster first announced plans to seek a federal waiver for the restrictions in August 2025. He later directed the South Carolina Department of Social Services to submit the waiver request, which the USDA approved in December.
The restrictions will apply to all SNAP-approved retailers in South Carolina, and participating households will not be able to opt out.
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Patrick Byrne lives in Tega Cay with his wife and two daughters. After 25 years working for a Big 4 bank, he retired to pursue his passion for writing. Additional articles and content can be found on his blog (reverian1776.blogspot.com) and freethepeople.org.
Patrick can be reach via email at [email protected]
