The USDA now has approved more than 150 additional retailer chains to offer online grocery shopping to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, participants.
In collaboration with state agency and vendor partners, USDA has expanded the availability of SNAP online purchasing to 49 states and the District of Columbia, providing more than 99% of all SNAP participants with access to online purchasing, according to a news release. Under the terms of the program, SNAP benefits can only purchase eligible food; delivery fees and other associated charges may not be paid for with SNAP benefits.
“Online grocery shopping is a convenient, safe, secure, way to shop for food while saving SNAP participants time and money,” Stacy Dean, deputy undersecretary for food, nutrition, and consumer services, said in the release. “Expanding the diversity of our online shopping retailers is a critical component of our nutrition security goal to provide better access to healthy, safe, affordable foods.”
In July 2022, just over 3 million SNAP households shopped online, which is a substantial increase from March 2020, when about 35,000 SNAP households shopped online, according to the release.
In the last four months, 44 retailers were added to the program, representing 1,240 store locations, the release said.
Some of those retailers include:
- Schneiders of Kirkwood in New York;
- 78 Target stores in Minnesota; and
- 10 Buehler’s Fresh Foods stores in Ohio.
USDA is actively providing technical assistance to all stakeholders who are interested in offering SNAP online purchasing and is dedicated to bringing a more diverse, broader range of new grocers online, with a focus on smaller, independent stores, according to the release.
For more information about the program and the full list of retailers approved to provide SNAP online purchasing, visit the SNAP online webpage.