Candy and sugary drinks are displayed at a gas station in Bismarck on Oct. 14, 2025. (Photo by Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
BISMARCK, ND (North Dakota Monitor) – The North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services is hosting a webinar series to help food retailers comply with upcoming restrictions on purchases made with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program dollars.
North Dakota last year was approved for a waiver that prevents SNAP benefits from being used to buy soda and other foods. According to the agency, the waiver will go into effect in September.
About 600 North Dakota retailers that take SNAP benefits will have to update their sales systems so that attempts to purchase prohibited items with SNAP money are declined, the North Dakota Monitor reported previously. The state has indicated retailers will shoulder most of the cost associated with implementing the waiver.
The webinars will provide information on the new program and what kinds of foods it will affect, and as well as guidance on how to meet its requirements, according to an announcement from the Department of Health and Human Services.
“These changes will take coordinated effort from the state and retailers, and we’re grateful for the shared dedication and support that will make progress possible,” Rebecca Askins, the agency’s interim economic assistance director said in the announcement.
The first webinar is at 2 p.m. Thursday. Future sessions will be held June 23, July 9, July 28, Aug. 13, Aug. 25, Sept. 10, Sept. 22, Oct. 8 and Oct. 27. Information on how to join is on the agency’s website.
North Dakota has been approved to ban using SNAP to purchase soft drinks; energy drinks; candy; some baking ingredients such as marshmallows and chocolate chips; nuts coated in chocolate or candy; and sweetened cereal and energy bars, according to the state’s waiver application.
The federal government incentivized participation in the waiver program by saying it would give more Rural Health Transformation Program dollars to states that enact it.
Retailers can subscribe to the agency’s newsletter to receive updates about the waiver’s implementation.
Those with questions about North Dakota SNAP reach out via the Department of Health and Human Services’s website, over email applyforhelp@nd.gov or over the phone at 701-328-1000 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
According to the agency, more than 27,600 North Dakota households are enrolled in SNAP benefits.
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