Unlike 18 other states across the country, Wisconsin FoodShare recipients will not face additional restrictions when filling their grocery carts. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services, which administers the state’s FoodShare program, opted not to add any new restrictions for 2026.
The program already bars the state’s 350,000 FoodShare recipients from using benefits to purchase alcohol, live animals, medicines and supplements, hot foods, pet food, cleaning supplies, and toiletries.
Many states, including Iowa and Indiana, are banning recipients from using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to buy candy and sugary drinks at the urging of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The state Assembly has attempted to push the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to follow suit. In May, Assembly Bill 180 — which would require the department to seek any necessary waiver to prohibit the purchase of candy or soft drinks with FoodShare benefits — was passed by the Assembly Committee on Public Benefit Reform on a 4-2 vote and was discussed last month by the Assembly’s Rules Committee.
The federal government has also threatened to withhold SNAP benefits altogether from several Democratic-controlled states that refuse to share information about their recipients. Proponents of the request say the data, which includes names and immigration status, is being sought to root out fraud. Opponents believe the request is politically motivated.
