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Are cooking spices eligible for purchase with SNAP benefits?
Q) Are cooking spices and condiments eligible for purchase with SNAP benefits?
A) You CAN use SNAP benefits to buy cooking spices and condiments eligible. Foods for the household to eat, such as breads and cereals, fruits and vegetables, meats, fish and poultry, dairy products. You can also use your benefits to buy seeds and plants which produce food for the household to eat.
Since condiments & spices are food items, they are eligible for purchase with SNAP benefits.
You 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; and hot foods. Click here for more information.
When considering the eligibility of branded products for purchase with SNAP benefits, the primary determinant is the type of product label chosen by the manufacturer to conform to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines:
· Items that carry a nutrition facts label are eligible foods
Note: Items that carry a supplement facts label are classified by the FDA as supplements, and are therefore not eligible.
In general, most food items which are intended for human consumption are eligible for purchase with SNAP benefits. Edible cooking ingredients that are normally consumed only after being incorporated into foods with other ingredients are eligible foods. Examples include lard, vegetables oils, and pectin (used as a base in jams or jellies). Also, vegetable products imparting flavor to food, such as corn husks, banana leaves, grape leaves, and lotus leaves, are eligible foods. In addition, items that may not be labeled as food, such as water, or bags of ice, are eligible foods. Generally, if an item is intended for human consumption, and it is not specifically excluded, it is considered an eligible food.