In the event of a natural disaster or pandemic, you may find yourself without access to a grocery store for an extended period. Fortunately, you can buy survival food with your EBT card!
SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is available in all 50 states. However, there are some limitations when it comes to using your card.
SNAP Eligible Food
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is a federally-funded program that provides food benefits to low-income households. Recipients spend their benefits (equal to 30% of their income) to buy eligible foods in authorized retail food stores.
Households that use SNAP benefits can use them for bread, cereal, fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, poultry and dairy products. They can also use them to purchase seeds and plants that produce food for their household to consume.
Generally, alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, hot food and nonfood items such as pet foods, soaps, paper products, medicines, household supplies, grooming items and cosmetics are not eligible for SNAP benefits. Some exceptions to this rule exist, including foods that are not readily available in the community.
Eating healthfully can be difficult if you have limited resources. This is why the United States Department of Agriculture, or USDA, launched SNAP-Ed, a program that teaches people how to prepare healthy meals on a budget.
You can buy many of the things you need for survival, including energy drinks, protein powder and a few emergency food supplies with your SNAP benefits. Amazon even sells a 4-gallon emergency food supply that you can get with your EBT card.
SNAP Eligible Toys
One of the most frequent questions I get from people who are interested in buying survival food is whether they can use their EBT card to pay for it. If you have not heard of the EBT system, it is a pre-paid electronic payment system that allows participants to swipe their card at a store’s checkout line and pay for items without ever touching the checkbook or credit cards.
SNAP recipients are also able to make large purchases with their card at online retailers, allowing them to stock up on survival foods, household items, and even clothing. As a bonus, these stores often sell discounted items that would otherwise be out of reach for people on a budget.
The best way to determine if your EBT card will be accepted is to ask at your local grocery store. Many of them offer a free food sampling program, which allows shoppers to try out new products and find ones that they actually like before shelling out the cash. If you are unsure, there are several websites where you can learn more about your local grocery store’s policies and procedures.
SNAP Eligible Energy Drinks
If you’re preparing for an emergency, it’s important to have enough survival food on hand. Some of the best SNAP-eligible foods include canned tuna and salmon, energy bars, brown rice and dried beans.
Purchasing survival food with EBT is an excellent way to get the nutrition you need without having to break the bank. The Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) system is used in all 50 states and allows participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), food stamps, and government food assistance to pay for necessary food items with a pre-paid balance on their card.
The SNAP system has a strict set of guidelines, so it’s important to make sure the item you purchase will qualify. In addition to ensuring that the food is edible, you’ll also need to make sure the product has a nutritional label on it.
For example, some energy drinks like Red Bull, Monster, Rockstar and Bang Energy Drink are EBT approved as long as the container has a Nutrition Facts label. However, some energy drinks, such as 5 Hour Energy and Bang Shot, do not qualify for SNAP benefits.
