Non-edible items?

[PHishHead]

Can i use the ebt card to buy things such as olive oil, which i use for cooking? How bout items such as powdered Lipton Iced Tea to make it by the gallon?

Also, I HAVE used my ebt card at Whole Foods Market here in FL, so i do know they take them here in Florida. I wish the Dept of Children & Fam, which is where we apply for food stamps would put a list of what you can and cannot buy on their website. Make it searchable, so i could have gone there, typed in olive oil, and it would have told me yes or no.

Edited by PHishHead - 8/10/11 at 5:22am

[insidevoice]

Olive oil and iced tea are both food items, so they should be fine.  Alcohol isn't something you can purchase, but the vast majority of things in your grocery store that are 'food' (can be consumed) will be just fine.  

[Auntie Sapphire]

Basically, if it's food (or drink) to take home from the store and eat (or drink), you can spend your benefits on it. It doesn't have to be ready-to-eat - ingredients are eligible.

Here are the exceptions, from http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/retailers/eligible.htm

Households CANNOT use SNAP benefits to buy:

• 	Beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes or tobacco;
  	Any nonfood items, such as:
  	--	pet foods;
  	--	soaps, paper products; and
  	--	household supplies.
  	Vitamins and medicines.
  	Food that will be eaten in the store.
  	Hot foods.

[foxsmama]

In Oregon you can use the EBT card to purchase oils and anything used to cook food with. You cannot buy things like yerba mate or supplement powders because they are not considered 'food', but you can buy powdered drink mixes and most teas and coffees. 

[babygirlie]

a slong as it's not a deli food it's buyable. Like if the grocer  you use has a chinese food restaurant set up like Safeway.. you can't buy that. Or like you can't buy SOME pizzas because they are cooked, but if you buy the pizza uncooked you can, though I think there's ways around that too. Olive oil is definately a food :P

[lilyka]

I work at a grocery store and pretty much if you can eat it you can get it with EBT.  The exceptions are anything considered suppliments (vitamins, protein powders, energy drinks depending on the ingredients, and stuff of that sort).  Prepared foods are trickier.  Our HOT food cannot be bought but the very same food if it is COLD can.  Our store has a full Deli, Restaurant, Chinese, Italian and Sushi shops.  They package everything in to go containers and put it in the fridge.  This way you can buy it with food stamps.  Also seeds for your garden can be purchased with EBT.  Those are the only grey areas.  Otherwise it is very straight forward.  if it is people food... yes.  if it is not people food...no.

[mylilmonkeys]

Also, ice is a no here.  Who knew?  

[blessedwithboys]

FYI for FL mamas...after a bad storm, they will sometimes allow hot deli foods due to the lack of electricity in homes. 

Also, stevia used to be a no-no but now I have heard Truvia is allowed, but I haven't gotten FS since it hit the market, so I'm not sure about that.