The items that can be purchased with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in Arkansas are changing effective July 1, 2026.
In April 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) granted Arkansas a waiver to exclude soda, low and no-calorie soda, fruit and vegetable drinks with less than 50% juice, other unhealthy drinks, and candy from purchase with SNAP benefits.
On May 12, 2026, Arkansas received approval from FNS to modify the restricted food and beverage definitions to provide further clarity. These modified definitions are available by clicking here.
Compliance form
The Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) is asking all retailers to confirm their readiness to comply with these changes. Only one attestation is needed, even if you own multiple locations. To ensure retailer compliance, any necessary updates, such as changes to point of sale systems or operational processes, must be implemented on (but not before) July 1, 2026. FNS does allow a 90-day grace period following our July 1, 2026, implementation date for retailers to come into full compliance.
Please click here to confirm your readiness no later than September 30, 2026.
Restricted product list
Contact us
Retailer questions or feedback about the SNAP nutrition waiver can be sent to [email protected]
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