General EBT Usage for NA
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This section identifies allowable and non-allowable foods that can be purchased using NA benefits.
Policy
NA benefits are used like cash when purchasing allowable food. NA benefits are accessed through the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) process.
Most grocery stores accept EBT Cards, as well as some convenience stores and Farmer’s Markets. See NA Farmer’s Markets for more information about EBT usage at Farmer’s Markets.
EBT Online Purchasing allows NA participants to purchase allowable food items online from authorized online vendors. See Online EBT Purchasing for more information about how to use the EBT card online.
When eligible for the NA Restaurant Meals program, the EBT card can be used at restaurants that have been approved by the Food and Nutrition Service(g) Restaurant Meals Program. See NA Restaurant Meals Program for eligibility and restaurant locations.
For details on the EBT card, see Accessing Nutrition Assistance Benefits.
NA Allowable Purchases
NA benefits may be used to buy any of the following:
●Food products for human consumption, including baked goods
●Vegetable seeds, food-producing plants, roots, and trees
●Items considered health foods such as wheat germ, brewer’s yeast, sunflower seeds packaged for human consumption, rose hips powder, and enriched or fortified foods
●Baby formula
●Diabetic or dietetic foods
●Deposits on returnable bottles or containers
●Distilled water or ice labeled for human consumption
●Items used in the preparation or preservation of food such as spices and herbs, pectin, lard, or shortening
●Meals prepared for and delivered or served to elderly or participants with a disability, when the organization is authorized to accept NA
●Snack food such as candy, potato, or tortilla chips, chewing gum and soft drinks
●Certain eligible participants can buy meals with NA benefits from community dining places and restaurants that have been approved by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Restaurant Meals Program.
●Meals prepared by any of the following FNS certified or authorized institutions:
Temporary homeless shelters and meal providers
Domestic violence shelters
Drug and alcohol treatment centers
Federally subsidized housing facilities for the elderly
Group living arrangement facilities
NA Non-allowable Purchases
Items that cannot be bought with NA benefits include all of the following:
●Alcoholic beverages and tobacco
●Non-food items such as soap and toiletries, paper products, cleaning products and cooking utensils
●Live animals, except shellfish and fish removed from water
●Items used for gardening such as fertilizer and peat moss
●Items not intended for human consumption such as laundry soap and starch, dog and cat food, seeds packaged as bird seed, and decorative dye that is used to color hard-cooked eggs
●Vitamins and minerals, in any form
●All health aids such as aspirin, cough drops or syrups and other cold remedies, antacids, and all prescription medicines
●Hot foods and hot food products sold in grocery stores, hot at the time of sale and ready for immediate eating
NOTE These foods are allowable for participants eligible for the Restaurant Meals Program.
●All foods marketed to be heated and served on the premises, and any prepared food sold to be eaten on the premises
NOTE These foods are allowable for participants eligible for the Restaurant Meals Program.
Legal Authorities
7 CFR 248.10(a)
7 CFR 248.10(b)
7 CFR 248.10(k)
7 CFR 273.1(b)(2)
7 CFR 273.10(a)(1)(ii)(A)
7 CFR 273.10(a)(2)
7 CFR 273.11(c)
7 CFR 274.3(c)(3)
7 CFR 281.2(c)(1)
Combined Application Project (CAP)
Waiver Arizona Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (AZSNAP), effective date October 1, 2019
last revised 10/02/2023