Following Hurricane Idalia in Florida last week, the USDA approved the state’s request to temporarily allow SNAP households to purchase hot foods, shared the National Association of Convenience Stores. The temporary benefits apply to 23 Florida counties and are valid through October 1.
Before the temporary waiver, someone could buy a cold, pre-made sandwich using SNAP benefits but not a hot cup of soup.
“Retailers in your state may need as much as 24-36 hours to make changes that will allow for the sale of hot foods. Please set appropriate expectations when messaging hot foods availability to SNAP participants,” stated the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service.
Because 93 percent of Americans live within 10 minutes of one of the 150,000 convenience stores in the country, c-stores provide crucial access points to nutrition for the population, especially for low-income families, shared the NACS. The association added that it is a proponent of permanently lifting the hot foods ban for SNAP benefits to offer families more flexibility.
The Hot Foods Act was introduced in July with bipartisan support and would permanently allow hot food SNAP purchases at SNAP-participating retailers.
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