JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Food stamp recipients in Florida may have to take some items out of their carts when checking out.
New restrictions on using SNAP benefits in Florida to purchase sugary foods and drinks kicked in Monday.
Those restrictions prohibit the use of federal food benefits to purchase soda, energy drinks, candy and ultra-processed desserts like Oreos and Twinkies.
As of December of 2025, more than 39.5 million Americans received SNAP benefits to help put food on the table.
More than 53,000 households in Jacksonville alone rely on federal food assistance.
Tijuana Bovian used food stamps in the past.
She argued the new restrictions aren’t fair.
“People should be able to spend their food stamps how they see fit,” said Bovian. ”What’s the sense in having food stamps? To buy food, right? You can’t buy soap. All you can buy is food. So why take that from the American people, man?”
Ardra Rigby, on the other hand, said he supports the effort to push people towards healthier choices.
“You always want to buy healthy food. You know, no processed meats. You want to buy the chicken, the turkeys, vegetables please. We don’t feed our children candy,” Rigby said.
The new dietary restrictions come less than two months after new work requirements for SNAP beneficiaries also went into effect.
Those changes now require adults aged 55 through 64 to work a minimum of 80 hours a month to keep their benefits.
Additionally, work requirement exceptions for veterans, homeless individuals and parents with children between the ages of 14 and 18 were eliminated.
Action News Jax requested data from the Florida Department of Children and Families to see whether the new work requirements have impacted enrollment numbers since they kicked in on February 1st, but we didn’t hear back.
Nationally, federal data shows a decline of 1.5 million Americans receiving SNAP benefits between October and December of 2025.
Rigby and Bovian both said they’re fine with work requirements.
Rigby even suggested working and eating healthy go hand in hand.
“You can’t do that on a fuel tank full of candy, so I do agree,” Rigby said.
For more information about the changes to SNAP benefits in Florida, click here.
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