701.01 The Purpose and Uses for Food Stamp Benefits (FSM)

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The Food Stamp Program exists to prevent hunger, promote health, and raise nutrition levels among low-income households. It exists to keep citizens from going hungry by providing a way to buy healthy foods. It serves children, seniors, people with disabilities, and working or unemployed people of all ages.

Food Stamp benefits are provided to eligible low-income households to purchase food items intended for human consumption and use, including seeds and plants.

Households need not have cooking facilities.

Food Stamp benefits cannot be used:

•     to buy nonfood items—such as alcoholic beverages, tobacco, paper products, vitamins, soap, or hot foods;

•     to pay for any eligible food purchased prior to the time at which an EBT card is presented to authorized retailers or meal services;

•     to pay for any eligible food in advance of the receipt of food; or

•     traded or sold to anyone who is not authorized to use them for the eligible household.

Other uses of Food Stamp benefits include purchasing food from:

•     Communal dining facilities;

•     Nonprofit meal delivery services;

•     Drug addiction or alcoholic treatment and rehabilitation programs;

•     Community mental health centers;

•     Public or private nonprofit group living arrangements that has been approved by the state; and

•     Shelters for battered women and children.

References: 7 CFR 271.1(a); 7 CFR 271.2 (Definition of Communal Dining Facility, Drug addiction or alcoholic treatment and rehabilitation program, Eligible foods, Group living arrangement, Meal delivery service, Shelter for battered women and children, Staple food); 7 CFR 271.5; 7 CFR 274.7(a)-(b)