What policy changes allowed SNAP benefits to be used for prepared ready-to-eat foods?
Executive summary
Federal law historically barred most hot, ready-to-eat foods from SNAP, but longstanding exceptions and recent policy actions have allowed some SNAP participants to use benefits for prepared meals. The key vehicle enabling purchases of ready-to-eat foods is the Restaurant Meals Program (an existing federal waiver authority that lets states permit prepared meals for certain populations), and more recently states have received waivers or pursued legislative changes and federal rulemaking that expand or restrict what SNAP dollars can buy (see Restaurant Meals Program and state waivers) [1] [2] [3].
1. Longstanding federal baseline: grocery items allowed, hot prepared foods generally not
For decades SNAP’s federal definition of “food” has permitted purchases of grocery items but excluded most hot, ready-to-eat foods; staples like grocery-store items remain the baseline for what SNAP pays for (available sources do not give the original statutory text but repeatedly note hot prepared foods were off-limits under standard SNAP rules) [3].
2. The Restaurant Meals Program: the explicit exception that lets some states allow ready-to-eat purchases
The Restaurant Meals Program (RMP) is the established waiver pathway that permits certain eligible recipients—typically elderly, homeless and disabled people—to use EBT to buy prepared meals at participating restaurants. States have run RMPs for years, and federal reporting shows significant spending through that channel (for example, millions were spent in California) [1] [4].
3. State waivers and state-level policy choices expanded or limited prepared-food access
Since 2025 several states sought and received waivers allowing them to restrict or to expand what SNAP can buy at retail and restaurants. Health and Human Services and USDA actions granted waivers to states that wanted to prohibit purchases of certain processed foods and drinks; conversely, other state choices and RMP participation have enabled ready-to-eat purchases in participating jurisdictions [2] [1].
4. Federal legislation and rule proposals reshaped the menu of eligible items
In 2025 Congress introduced bills such as the “Healthy SNAP Act of 2025” that would redefine eligible foods and require nutritional standards for prepared meals; the text directs the USDA to designate which foods qualify and to set nutritional values for prepared meals [5] [6]. Legislative activity and the “One Big Beautiful Bill” and related federal guidance also altered work rules and other SNAP parameters—while some provisions tighten purchases, other processes give states discretion through waivers or program design [7] [8].
5. Administrative action and political pressure have accelerated change
USDA leadership and the agriculture secretary have publicly pushed for broader SNAP changes, citing fraud and administrative concerns; USDA requested more state data and threatened enforcement actions, while officials simultaneously signed waivers and issued guidance that affect what can be bought with SNAP [9] [10]. The political agenda—framed by some officials as anti-fraud and by critics as cost-cutting or paternalistic—influences which waivers are approved and how rules are implemented [9] [11].
6. What the reporting shows about scale and controversy
Reporting quantifies substantial ready-to-eat spending under RMP and state programs—examples include hundreds of millions in fast-food purchases in California and tens or hundreds of millions nationwide—figures that have been used by legislators to argue for restricting or reshaping eligible purchases [1] [4]. Food-policy experts caution that some administration talking points conflate fraud with payment errors and that the underlying data have not always been fully disclosed [9].
7. Competing viewpoints: public health vs. autonomy and administrative burden
Proponents of tighter rules and state waivers frame restrictions as public-health measures to stop SNAP dollars buying sugary drinks and highly processed foods and to “put real food back at the center” of the program [2]. Opponents—advocates for low-income households and many policy analysts—warn that restrictions and tougher administrative requirements reduce access, risk cutting benefits for vulnerable people, and may force states to curtail participation if compliance or costs rise [12] [7].
8. Limits of available reporting and what’s not covered
Available sources document RMP, state waivers, pending legislation, and administrative actions, but they do not provide the full original statutory language that first created the hot-food prohibition nor do they publish comprehensive federal datasets underpinning recent fraud and spending claims; several outlets note USDA has not released all underlying data cited by officials [9] [10]. If you want the precise statutory amendments or full USDA datasets, current reporting says those are not fully public in the cited pieces [9].
9. Bottom line for readers
What allowed SNAP dollars to be used for prepared, ready-to-eat foods is not a single new national law removing the prohibition but a combination of the existing Restaurant Meals Program waiver authority, state-level waiver approvals or program choices, and recent legislative and administrative activity that has either expanded state discretion or sought to reclassify eligible foods—moves driven by competing goals of public health, cost control, and beneficiary access [1] [2] [6].