Everyone has the right to nutritious food, regardless of income.
Food stamp benefits are provided by the federal government and distributed by individual states such as South Carolina to help people afford to put food on the table. If you qualify, your benefits are loaded onto an Electronic Benefits Transfer card, which you use at the grocery store or farmer's market just like a debit card. Benefits are applied to your card on the same day every month and rollover to the next month if you don't use all of them, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations.
Uncooked Foods
Use your food stamp benefits to purchase uncooked foods such as fresh, frozen or canned produce; meat; seafood; packaged foods; and microwavable meals. Bottled water, artificial sweeteners and cooking sprays also qualify, says the S.C. Department of Social Services rules, as do weight loss foods such as SlimFast and Nutrisystem.
Other Eligible Items
USDA rules allow you to buy seeds and plants for growing food at home. Nutritional supplements are also eligible for purchase with your EBT card, says the S.C. Department of Social Services regulations, such as Ensure and Isomil. And if you have a baby in the home, you'll be relieved to know you can buy formula as well.
Prepared Meals
Cold prepared meals -- such as sandwiches or cold chicken fingers -- are eligible for purchase, but hot meals aren't, according to USDA regulations. In other words, you won't be able to buy foods from the deli that you're expected to eat in the store, such as hot macaroni and cheese, fried chicken or mashed potatoes. You also can't have seafood steamed before paying for it -- however, you can purchase the seafood and then return it to the seafood counter for steaming.
One exception to this rule is buying prepared food from a soup kitchen or a delivery service such as Meals on Wheels, according to S.C. Department of Social Services regulations.
Ineligible Items
You can't buy beer, cigarettes, magazines or paper products with food stamps. Food stamps won't buy medicine either, nor will it buy some energy drinks such as SOBE or RockStar. You can't buy a hot cup of coffee with it, but you can buy a cold bottled coffee such as Starbucks.
Store Options
Grocery stores are the primary shopping grounds for food stamp recipients, but as of 2011, more options are available. Farmer's markets can accept food stamps if the organization applies for approval with the USDA. Ask before you shop to make sure your card will be accepted. Some organic stores accept EBT cards, as do local butcher shops and seafood suppliers. Always ask before shopping.
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