Like almost everything else today, food stamps are shifting online. If you’re one of the 44 million Americans who rely on food stamps, this could bring notable changes for you.
Major online grocers such as Amazon will soon accept food stamps, thanks to a federal pilot program that’s testing how the transition will work.
The objective is to expand low-income families’ access to nutritious food choices — particularly for those without a car or who live in “food deserts” with few grocery options.
When the rollout begins this summer, households that depend on food stamps will be able to use them online for the first time and have groceries shipped straight to their homes.
A Limited Pilot Program
For now, this applies only to residents of Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington. If it proves successful, the initiative could expand to additional states.
The two-year pilot will start with national online retailers like Amazon, FreshDirect and Safeway; regional chains such as ShopRite and HyVee; and smaller New York-based stores like Hart’s Local Grocers and Dash’s Market.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the food stamp program, wants to determine whether local or national grocers are better suited for online SNAP purchases, the USDA said.
What You Should Know About Food Stamps
Let’s pause to answer a few key questions:
- They’re commonly called “food stamps” because the government once issued booklets of stamps or vouchers valued at $1, $5 or $10. For decades, low-income consumers used those paper stamps to buy groceries. Today, the stamps have been replaced by debit-style cards known as Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards. The USDA rebranded the $70-billion-a-year food stamp program as SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
- There’s a persistent myth that SNAP recipients are idle or exploiting the system. In truth, a large share of food stamp benefits go to working households.
- More than half of working-age, non-disabled adults on SNAP are employed, and over 80% of them work during the year before or after receiving benefits,the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports. And the USDA notes that nearly half of SNAP participants are children, 10% are over 60, and more than 40% belong to households with earnings.
Some Restrictions Apply
Are you eligible for food stamps? That depends on your household size and income. The short answer: your income must be quite low. Learn how to apply for SNAP here.
As with in-store purchases, SNAP limits what can be bought online. You can’t use food stamps for alcohol or tobacco, for example. You also can’t purchase pet food, dietary supplements or household items like soap or disposable plates. (SNAP is intended for purchasing food.)
Before using digital food stamps to order groceries online, recipients should consider a few things. Chiefly, they’ll be responsible for any online service or delivery charges, because SNAP funds won’t cover those fees.
Services such as AmazonFresh cost nearly $15 per month. By comparison, SNAP participants receive an average of $125 per person in benefits each month.
Still, bringing food stamps into the click-and-buy era could benefit those living in food deserts as well as seniors and people with disabilities who find it hard to leave home.
“Online purchasing is a potential lifeline for SNAP participants in urban neighborhoods and rural communities where access to healthy food choices can be limited,” said USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack.
Your Turn: Have you ever used food stamps? What was your experience?
Jordan Hale is a senior staff writer at Savinly. When not on the job, Jordan is busy with family life.
