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Can You Buy Energy Drinks with EBT? YES, Here is How

Can You Buy Energy Drinks with EBT YES, Here is How

If you are wondering, ‘Can you Energy Drinks with EBT?’ then you are at the right place. In this article, we will be sharing all the information that we possess regarding energy drinks that can be bought with EBT SNAP benefits. There is a little trick to this. There are certain energy drinks that can be bought with EBT, while others cannot be bought using an EBT card.

Over the last few years, energy drinks have grown to become very popular, especially among young people. Up to a certain extent, they have managed to also substitute coffee and similar drinks. It is the vast variety of energy drinks and further their flavors that make energy drinks a preferred choice. But are Energy Drinks EBT Eligible? Read further to know more!

Can you buy energy drinks with EBT?

YES. You can buy energy drinks with EBT SNAP benefits. Those energy drinks that have “nutrition facts” written on their label can be bought using EBT food stamps. Contrary to this, if the Energy Drink you wish to buy has “Supplemental Facts” written on it, you will not be able to buy it using Food Stamps EBT.

Which energy drinks can you buy with EBT?

Which energy drinks can you buy with EBT

First of all, if you are wondering, Can you buy Energy Drinks with Food Stamps? Then the answer is yes. You can buy Energy Drinks with EBT SNAP Benefits. Now the question is how and Which energy drinks can you buy with EBT? 

To answer that, there is a very when it comes to checking if an item is eligible for EBT or not. If the food item that you are willing to buy with EBT food stamps has “Nutrition Facts” written on its label, then that item is eligible for EBT benefits.

However, if the food or related item, like an energy drink, in this case, has “Supplement Facts” written on the label, then you cannot buy that Energy Drink with EBT. 

If you are wondering why this is so, the reason is quite simple. Supplements are not considered foods and thus do not have any nutritional value. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program was introduced for the sole reason of providing nutrition to low-income families who cannot afford to buy food and grocery items necessary for their well-being. 

Since supplements are only used to supplement the diet with additional nutrients like Minerals and vitamins, They are not exactly the basic nutrients required for human growth. If you make a comparison of nutrients and supplements, the nutrients in improving the capacity of the human body. 

The program has its focuses on providing nutrients to low-income families who cannot afford them and so include food items that have only supplemental value to it. So, if you want to buy certain items from grocery stores that accept EBT, You will have to check the back of the product to see the label “Nutrition Facts.”

In the case of many energy drinks, you will find this very nutrition facts label, meaning that you can buy energy drinks using EBT benefits.

List of EBT-Eligible Energy Drinks

List of EBT-Eligible Energy Drinks

To help you out in buying energy drinks using EBT benefits, here we have listed all the EBT-eligible energy drinks that we know of. A lot of popular energy drinks, like Red Bull, Monster Energy, etc., come under the benefits of the EBT SNAP program.

Just note that this is not the final list. There could be many more energy drinks that are not EBT-eligible. However, these are the ones quite popular and known to many.

  • Monster Energy
  • Red Bull
  • Rockstar Energy Drink
  • Bang Energy Drink
  • Liquid I.V. Energy Multiplier (Mix)
  • Bing Beverage
  • RUNA Clean Energy
  • Mountain Dew Game Fuel Zero
  • Kill Cliff: Ignite Clean Energy
  • GURU Organic Energy Drink
  • ASPIRE Healthy Energy
  • Hiball Energy
  • Amp Energy
  • Sambazon Amazon Energy Drink
  • NOS Energy Drink
  • C4 Energy
  • FEEL Natural Energy Drink
  • Solimo Energy Drink (Amazon Brand)
  • Amino Energy
  • Mountain Dew Kickstart
  • Starbucks Doubleshot Energy
  • Ninja Melk Energy Drink
  • Zevia Energy Drink
  • Strike Force Energy Drink Mix
  • V8 +Energy
  • Wingman Smart Energy
  • X2 Natural Energy Drink
  • Yerba Mate (Organic Alternative to Energy)
  • Reign
  • UPTIME Energy Drink

Energy Drinks That Can’t be bought with EBT

If you are wondering Which energy drinks can’t be bought with EBT? Then here is a list of Energy Drinks That you cannot buy with EBT.

Just note that this is not the final list. There could be many more energy drinks that are not EBT-eligible. However, these are the ones quite popular and known to many.

  • Zipfizz Healthy Energy Drink Mix
  • CELSIUS Sparkling
  • Jump Start Energy Shot
  • FITAID Recovery Blend
  • 5-hour Energy Shots
  • Jocko GO Energy Drink
  • Pureboost Clean Energy Drink Mix
  • CUT Energy + Weight Loss (By Hydroxycut)

How do I buy energy drinks with EBT?

Buy now; you know that you can buy energy drinks with EBT. This is amazing since a lot of people have acquired a taste for energy drinks. They are a good substitute for coffee and other such drinks.

But did you know that before 2013, these energy drinks from well-known brands, such as Red Bull, Mountain Dew, monster, etc., were labeled as supplements? It was in this year that they were labeled as food.

Following the change in the labels of these energy drinks, there has been a benefit for people who love energy drinks. They can buy energy drinks with EBT. Now, although some of the energy drink brands have changed their labels, some of them still are labeled as supplements and thus cannot be bought with and thus cannot be bought with EBT.

So if you are wondering How do I buy energy drinks with EBT? the answer is a very simple rule of thumb. All you need to do is check the label of the energy drink you wish to buy. See that the Label of that Energy Drink has “Nutritional Facts” written on it. If it has the same written on the label, you can buy that Energy drink with your EBT card.

In case that energy drink has “Supplemental Facts” written on it, you will NOT be able to buy that Energy Drink using EBT Food Stamps. 

Where can I buy energy drinks with EBT?

You can buy energy drinks with EBT through various grocery stores and supermarkets, such as – Safeway, Wal-Mart, Target, Sprouts, Publix, Whole Foods, Albertson’s, etc. You can also buy them through online websites like Amazon.

Frequently Asked Questions about Energy Drinks with EBT

Given below are some of the most commonly asked questions regarding energy drinks that can be bought using EBT SNAP benefits and, in general, questions regarding SNAP food stamps. We suggest you go through these questions to get more ideas about EBT SNAP benefits.

Can you buy Red Bull with EBT?

With SNAP, you can purchase Red Bull easily, and Red Bull is eligible for EBT benefits. In the beginning, Red Bull wasn’t a carbonated beverage when it was first released. In 1987, it was introduced to the U.S. for the first time and was subsequently modified so that it was carbonated.

Redbull is one of the most well-known and popular beverages in the world today and is available in a variety of flavor selections as well as sugar-free varieties. As a result of the fact that Red Bull has a nutrition fact label on it, it falls under the category of foods and beverages because it has nutrition information on it, and thus, Red Bull can be bought with EBT SNAP Benefits.

Can You Buy Energy Drinks with EBT?/ Can you buy Energy Drinks with Food Stamps?

EBT can be used to purchase beverages with nutrition facts labels instead of supplement facts labels; many energy drinks offer nutrition facts labels, and EBT can be used to purchase energy drinks that have nutrition facts labels.

Because energy drinks are food and provide nutrition information, they are eligible for EBT. Thus, you can buy Energy Drinks with Food Stamps EBT from various stores like Walmart, Safeway, etc., and websites like Amazon, etc.

Can you buy Rockstar Energy Drinks with EBT?

Rockstar is another popular energy drink that contains additional components besides caffeine, including carbonated water, citric acid, taurine, glucuronolactone, inositol, l-carnitine, guarana seeds, milk thistle extract, and niacinamide. You will be pleased to know that Rockstar energy drinks are EBT Eligible.

Can you buy Bang Energy drinks with EBT?

Yes, it is possible to buy Bang Energy drinks with EBT. Since Bang Energy has “Nutrition Facts” written on the can, this energy drink automatically becomes EBT Eligible.

Can you buy Monster Energy Drink on EBT?

Yes, Monster Energy Drink is EBT Eligible. Due to the fact that the nutrition facts label on the Monster energy drink indicates that it is both a meal as well as a beverage, it is eligible for the EBT program.

Caffeine is a component of Monster energy drinks, and as a result, they are often marketed as being energizing and enhancing performance. This product is available in a variety of flavors and is packed with different nutrients such as l-carnitine, l-tartrate, taurine, ginseng extract from Panax ginseng, caffeine, and vitamins.

Does EBT cover Celsius drinks?

NO. You cannot buy Celsius drinks with EBT since the Celsius drinks cans have “Supplemental Facts” written on them. They automatically become non-eligible to be bought by EBT SNAP benefits.

Can I get in trouble for buying energy drinks with my EBT card?

Certainly not. There is no way one can get in trouble for buying energy drinks with an EBT Benefits card. As some of the energy drinks are EBT eligible, you can easily use your food stamps EBT without any issues.

What Cannot Be Bought With EBT?

As you might already know, EBT is the method using which you can utilize the snap assistance program benefits. Through the SNAP benefits program, you can get advantages in buying grocery items at very low prices.

However, there are certain restrictions to this program. You cannot use EBT to buy hot served food at restaurants, vitamins, hygiene products, pet food,  medicine, tobacco, alcohol, cosmetics, and foods to be eaten in the store, etc.

Final Thoughts

We hope that the above article could answer your question – Are Energy Drinks EBT Eligible?

In recent years, energy drinks have become as popular as coffee. But these drinks are quite expensive. Most people, because of their poor incomes, are unable to simply purchase an energy drink because they are unable to afford it.

On the brighter side, there are energy drinks that qualify for the EBT program, so you can easily consume them regardless of how much money you have available.

It is also possible to purchase energy drinks with your EBT card, but a label that reads “Nutrition Facts” must be displayed on the container, according to Food Stamps Now.

In the case of an energy drink that has a label on it that says “Supplement Facts,” then it would be considered a supplement and is therefore not eligible for SNAP benefits.

Jason Hewett

Jason Hewett

Jason Hewett is a government grant expert who has helped people get the funding they need to survive with low income. He is the author of The Grantseeking Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide to Finding and Securing Federal, State, and Local Government Grants, and he has been quoted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other major publications.

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