On Monday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved a temporary waiver that will allow participants in the USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program/CalFresh in impacted California counties to buy hot foods with their benefits through May 31, 2023.

Due to severe storms and flooding, and effective immediately, retail food stores licensed by USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service, or FNS, and located in the following California counties may accept SNAP benefits in exchange for hot foods and foods intended to be consumed on retailer premises: Alpine, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Inyo, Lake, Madera, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Mono, Sonoma, Tehama, Trinity and Tuolumne.

USDA emphasized the importance of the waiver, noting that many California 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 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 California Department of Social Services.

Individuals seeking more information about this and other available aid should dial 2-1-1. For more information about California SNAP, visit https://www.cdss.ca.gov/food-nutrition/calfresh.

FNS 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 one in four 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.

To learn more about FNS, visit www.fns.usda.gov and follow @USDANutrition.