Department of Human Services

USDA Approves SNAP Hot Foods Waiver for Hawai`i Impacted by Wildfires

USDA Contact: Western Regional Office Public Affairs
[email protected] or (415) 705-1311

Hawai`i Media Contact:
State of Hawai`i Department of Human Services
Amanda Stevens – Public Information Officer
(808) 586-4892 / [email protected]

SAN FRANCISCO, August 16, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture on August 16 approved a temporary waiver that will allow participants in the USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in Hawaii to buy hot foods with their benefits through September 14, 2023.

USDA emphasized the importance of the waiver, noting that many Hawaii residents evacuated to shelters cannot store food and lack access to cooking facilities as a result.

Under normal circumstances, hot foods cannot be bought using SNAP benefits. SNAP authorized retailers have been notified of the approval.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is ready to consider additional waivers that may be needed to help program participants who have lost food due to the disaster and to simplify the application process for affected households, upon request from the Hawaii Department of Human Services.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service works to end hunger and improve food and nutrition security through a suite of more than 16 nutrition assistance programs, such as the school breakfast and lunch programs, WIC and SNAP. Together, these programs serve 1 in 4 Americans over the course of a year, promoting consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, and affordable food essential to optimal health and well-being. FNS also provides science-based nutrition recommendations through the co-development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. FNS’s report, “Leveraging the White House Conference to Promote and Elevate Nutrition Security: The Role of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service,” highlights ways the agency will support the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Strategy, released in conjunction with the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September 2022. To learn more about FNS, visit www.fns.usda.gov and follow @USDANutrition.

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