What you can and can’t spend food stamps on – including hot foot

FOOD stamps are given to struggling households to help them eat healthily - but there are limits on what they can be spent on.

Also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the food stamps increased in value on October 1.

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On average, food stamps are now $157 per person each month - up by $36 compared to pre-pandemic levels.

The benefits are delivered monthly through electronic debit cards, which can be used to buy groceries at more than 238,000 retailers nationwide.

Below we explain which products you can buy using the food stamps.

What you can buy with food stamps

The SNAP benefits can be used for most foods for the households, including the below:

• Fruits and vegetables
• Meat, poultry, and fish
• Dairy products
• Breads and cereals
• Other foods such as snack foods and non-alcoholic beverages; and
• Seeds and plants, which produce food for the household to eat

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What you can't buy with food stamps

Meanwhile, there are a number of items you won't be able to buy with your benefits.

Ranging from alcohol to hot food, we've listed these below.

• Beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes, or tobacco
• Vitamins, medicines, and supplements.
• Live animals (except shellfish, fish removed from water, and animals slaughtered prior to pick-up from the store)
• Foods that are hot at the point of sale

You also won't be able to buy non-food items such as:

• Pet foods
• Cleaning supplies, paper products, and other household supplies
• Hygiene items, cosmetics

Although you currently aren't able to buy hot food with food stamps, this could change in future.

In fact, a new program signed into law by New York Governor Kathy Hochul earlier this month allows claimants to buy hot or prepared meals for restaurants, as well as delis.

It's an aim to help individuals who can't prepare food on their own.

However, the new program requires federal approval before it can come into effect.

Who qualifies? 

Food stamps are typically restricted to those with gross incomes of up to 130% of the federal poverty line.

This currently starts at $12,880 for a single-person household and increases depending on the size of your family.

For example, the poverty threshold for a traditional four-person household is $26,500.

And the eligibility criteria for food stamps varies by state. 

For New York, the maximum a household size of one can receive in food stamps per month is $250.

That number then gets boosted to a maximum of $835 for a family of four.

But gross income for a family of four must be at or below $34,452 annually, or $2,871 per month to qualify.

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If you think you qualify, you should apply in your own state, which may be with your human services or social services center.

Find your local SNAP program and social services agency.