Claim:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture told grocery stores they are prohibited from offering special discounts to customers affected by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funding lapse during the government shutdown that began in October 2025.
Rating:
Context
Grocery stores can apply for a waiver to provide special discounts to SNAP customers.
In late 2025, a rumor spread online that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) sent a notice to retailers telling them they can’t offer special discounts to food stamp recipients whose benefits had been reduced amid the government shutdown that began in October.
The claim spread on X, Reddit and Instagram. Posts circulating on social media often included a screenshot of the alleged “retailer notice” the USDA sent, which stated, “OFFERING DISCOUNTS OR SERVICES ONLY TO SNAP PAYING CUSTOMERS IS A SNAP VIOLATION UNLESS YOU HAVE A SNAP EQUAL TREATMENT WAIVER.” The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is the formal name for the food stamp program and it provides food assistance to millions of low-income people.
The retailer notice in the screenshot above was real and can be found on the USDA website (archived). As such, we have rated this claim true.
The federal rules for SNAP prevent recipients of food assistance from receiving different treatment from other store customers. As USDA’s notice stated, retailers can apply for a waiver to get around these rules, though.
USDA did not immediately return an emailed request for more information, instead sending an auto-response stating that the government shutdown may impact response times. The response blamed Democrats for the shutdown, using similar language to the White House’s auto-response email.
As SNAP funding ran out over Halloween weekend, two federal judges ruled that freezing payments for the food assistance program was unlawful. As of this writing, the Trump administration planned to restart SNAP benefits using a USDA contingency fund, but would only pay out half of what people normally get. Officials have warned of delays. On average, SNAP provides $188 per month, or about $6 per day, in benefits to help seniors, people with disabilities and families purchase household food staples.
According to USDA’s website, as of this writing, the notice was last updated on Oct. 31. Here’s what it says in full, with the third bullet point specifying rules around retailer discounts for SNAP recipients (emphasis theirs):
REMINDER:
SNAP-EBT Authorized Retailers Must Comply with the SNAP Equal Treatment Rule.
- YOU MUST OFFER ELIGIBLE FOODS AT THE SAME PRICES AND ON THE SAME TERMS AND CONDITIONS TO SNAP-EBT CUSTOMERS AS OTHER CUSTOMERS, EXCEPT THAT SALES TAX CANNOT BE CHARGED ON SNAP PURCHASES.
- YOU CANNOT TREAT SNAP-EBT CUSTOMERS DIFFERENTLY THAN ANY OTHER CUSTOMER.
- OFFERING DISCOUNTS OR SERVICES ONLY TO SNAP PAYING CUSTOMERS IS A SNAP VIOLATION UNLESS YOU HAVE A SNAP EQUAL TREATMENT WAIVER.
FNS [Food and Nutrition Service] sends out important updates and reminders to authorized retailers. We urge you to contact us to report any changes in your contact information to ensure you receive these important notices.
Contact FNS
Multi-Store Owners (MSO): Reach out to your FNS point-of-contact
All other store owners: Call the SNAP Retailer Service Center at 1-877-823-4369
Please direct questions to RPMDHQ-Web@fns.usda.gov
SNAP Equal Treatment Rule
The SNAP Equal Treatment Rule referenced in the notice above is a preexisting rule requiring that retailers offer SNAP recipients the same kind of purchasing power as everyone else, such as equal access to discounts and promotions. It largely appears to focus on the possibility of SNAP recipients being discriminated against and being charged more, rather than the other way around (emphasis ours):
(b) Equal treatment for coupon customers. Coupons shall be accepted for eligible foods at the same prices and on the same terms and conditions applicable to cash purchases of the same foods at the same store except that tax shall not be charged on eligible foods purchased with coupons. However, nothing in this part may be construed as authorizing FNS to specify the prices at which retail food stores may sell food. However, public or private nonprofit homeless meal providers may only request voluntary use of SNAP benefits from homeless SNAP recipients and may not request such household using SNAP benefits to pay more than the average cost of the food purchased by the public or private nonprofit homeless meal provider contained in a meal served to the patrons of the meal service. For purposes of this section, “average cost” is determined by averaging food costs over a period of up to one calendar month. Voluntary payments by SNAP recipients in excess of such costs may be accepted by the meal providers. The value of donated foods from any source shall not be considered in determining the amount to be requested from SNAP recipients. All indirect costs, such as those incurred in the acquisition, storage, or preparation of the foods used in meals shall also be excluded. In addition, if others have the option of eating free or making a monetary donation, SNAP recipients must be provided the same option of eating free or making a donation in money or SNAP benefits. No retail food store may single out coupon users for special treatment in any way.
Since lawmakers permanently implemented the food program in 1964, as of this writing, funding had never lapsed before, thus making this specific implementation of the Equal Treatment Rule unprecedented.
