By admin 
South Carolinians can continue purchasing candy and sweet tea using food stamps for at least two more months after the state Department of Social Services delayed new rules intended to halt purchases of junk food with federal benefits.
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The agency said the new restrictions on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program won’t be implemented until Nov. 1, 2026, instead of Monday as originally planned.
The delay came at the request of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the agency that gave South Carolina the green light in December to ban candy, soft drinks, energy drinks and other sweetened beverages from food stamp purchases.
The USDA plans to post the rule change in the Federal Register and review public comments before the program is implemented, wrote Shiela Corley, a federal Food and Nutrition Administration official, in a letter to South Carolina DSS. The Federal Register is a record of government agency rules, and members of the public can comment before new regulations are put in place.
The new plan to seek public comment on the SNAP change follows an order from a federal judge in June blocking the restrictions in five states. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson argued the USDA did not have the authority to approve the changes to SNAP and failed to provide the required notice period.
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The USDA has allowed 23 states to restrict junk food from being purchased using federal food stamps, including South Carolina. Five states, Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee and West Virginia, were barred by Jackson from going forward with the limitations.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster issued an executive order in September 2025 requesting the Department of Social Services apply for a prohibition on sugary drinks and candy for SNAP purchases. The agency obliged, and the federal government approved the change in December.
If implemented, the change could impact about 482,000 South Carolinians and 230,000 households, according to .
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