The USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has approved a request from the Wyoming Department of Family Services to launch a “demonstration project” that changes what can be bought with SNAP benefits.
Starting February 1, 2027, Wyoming will implement a statewide ban on purchasing sweetened, carbonated beverages with SNAP benefits. This pilot program will run for two years, through January 31, 2029, unless it is extended.
What is Changing?
Wyoming is amending the definition of “eligible food” to exclude sweetened, carbonated beverages from SNAP purchases.
Wyoming defines these drinks as nonalcoholic beverages made with carbonated water that are flavored and sweetened with sugar or artificial sweeteners.
That means this rule is aimed at sweet fizzy drinks. If a drink is carbonated and sweetened, it is likely banned. If it is not carbonated, it appears to remain allowed. Drinks with milk or drinks with more than 50% fruit or vegetable juice are also excluded from the ban.
| Category | ❌ No Longer Eligible (Banned) | ✅ Still Eligible (Allowed) |
|---|---|---|
| Soda & Pop | ❌ Regular soda (Coke, Pepsi, Dr Pepper, Mountain Dew) ❌ Diet soda and zero sugar soda ❌ Other sweetened fizzy drinks | ✅ Plain sparkling water ✅ Plain seltzer water |
| Sweetened Beverages | ❌ Carbonated drinks sweetened with sugar ❌ Carbonated drinks sweetened with artificial sweeteners | ✅ Flat drinks like lemonade, fruit punch, and sweet tea ✅ Unsweetened drinks |
| Juice & Dairy | ❌ Carbonated juice drinks with 50% juice or less may be affected | ✅ Drinks with more than 50% fruit or vegetable juice ✅ Milk and milk products ✅ Milk substitutes like soy, rice, and similar alternatives |
| Other Foods | ✅ Candy, chips, cookies, bread, meat, produce, cereal, pasta, and other groceries are still allowed |
Who is Affected?
Every SNAP shopper in the state of Wyoming will be affected by this change. It applies to 100% of the Wyoming SNAP caseload.
The restriction itself is mandatory and there is no opt-out for the food rules. However, if the state asks households to complete surveys or participate in research for the evaluation, those activities are voluntary.
Critical Things You Need to Know
The USDA approval letter reveals several important details about how this project will work.
You can still shop with SNAP in other states. The waiver specifically states that out-of-state transactions will not be used as a primary indicator of fraud and will not negatively affect eligibility.
Retailers will have a 90-day grace period. After the rule begins, SNAP-authorized retailers will have 90 days to adjust before federal compliance monitoring fully kicks in.
Wyoming will monitor the program closely. The state must submit regular reports to USDA that track complaints, retailer compliance, administrative costs, and other project data.
The program could be extended. The initial waiver runs from February 1, 2027 through January 31, 2029, but Wyoming may request up to three additional one-year extensions, for a total possible length of five years.
You do not have to participate in surveys. Wyoming plans to study how shopping and spending habits change after the rule begins, but participation in surveys is optional.
How to Prepare
Wyoming’s rule is narrower than some other states because it focuses specifically on sweetened, carbonated beverages. Here are a few ways to get ready:
- Think: sweet + bubbly = banned. If a drink has bubbles and is sweetened with sugar or artificial sweeteners, it will likely no longer qualify for SNAP in Wyoming.
- Plan for both regular and diet soda to be off-limits. Unlike some states that only target sugary drinks, Wyoming’s definition includes drinks sweetened with artificial sweeteners too.
- Look for flat alternatives. Drinks like lemonade, sweet tea, fruit punch, and other non-carbonated beverages appear more likely to remain eligible, as long as they do not fall into another restricted category.
- Check juice percentages. If a beverage contains more than 50% fruit or vegetable juice, it should still be allowed even if it seems like a juice drink.
- Budget ahead for restricted drinks. If your household regularly buys soda, zero sugar soda, or other sweet fizzy drinks, you may need to prepare a cash gap before the rule begins in 2027.
Relief Recap
Wyoming’s SNAP restriction is focused on a fairly specific category: sweetened, carbonated beverages. That means most groceries families rely on every day are still fully covered by SNAP. While this change may be frustrating for households that rely on soda or other fizzy drinks, it does not affect most food purchases. Knowing the rules now can help you plan ahead, avoid surprises at checkout, and keep shopping with confidence.
