Posted on 01/06/2017 12:25:44 PM PST by Red Badger
The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to launch a two-year pilot program this summer with seven retailers to allow food stamp recipients the ability to purchase their groceries online.
More than 44 million Americans participated last year in federal government's low-income food assistance program, called SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Last year, the average benefit each person received was just over $125.50 per month.
"Online purchasing is a potential lifeline for SNAP participants living in urban neighborhoods and rural communities where access to healthy food choices can be limited," USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a release. "We're looking forward to being able to bring the benefits of the online market to low-income Americans participating in SNAP."
The pilot program will take place in seven states, in both urban and rural areas.
Online grocery still represents only a small portion of the overall at-home food category but it is growing faster due to the success of companies such as Amazon and others.
Amazon will participate in the pilot in Maryland, New Jersey and New York. The six other retailers selected include: FreshDirect in New York; Safeway in Maryland, Oregon and Washington; ShopRite in Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania; as well as Hart's Local Grocers and Dash's Market in certain New York locations.
"Amazon is excited to participate in the USDA SNAP online purchasing pilot," the Seattle-based ecommerce giant said in a statement. "We are committed to making food accessible through online grocery shopping, offering all customers the lowest prices possible."
FreshDirect, the Northeast online food retailer, said in a statement, "With the SNAP pilot, we look forward to bringing the online purchasing option to SNAP clients and positively impacting all the communities that we serve."
Brick-and-mortar chains such as Wal-Mart are aggressively expanding into the online grocery space and also offering both delivery as well as pick-up service at certain locations. Wal-Mart wasn't listed as one of the pilot participants; CNBC reached out to Wal-Mart for comment.
The department said it eventually anticipates being able to add additional retailers after confirming the "system is operating as required."
USDA said the retailers selected for the pilot "represent a variety of store types, including national online retailers as well as large grocery chains and smaller, regional networks to appropriately test online SNAP purchasing in different settings."
Kroger wasn't immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC.
Yeah, I know, but it was a fun thought!...............
Because it’s outright discrimination to expect professional moochers to drag themselves out of the house and all the way to the grocery store to do their shopping.
MY GOD!!! They don’t have to rely on waiting in line for government cheese and cans of grain. (I remember growing up I had some poor friends who got the government bricks of butter, cans of flour, and bricks of cheese. I never knew what it was but didn’t care) Now they don’t even have to use actual stamps. They get an EBT card. NOW, they won’t even have to get off their asses to drive to the grocery store?
SICK!!!
MY GOD!!! They don’t have to rely on waiting in line for government cheese and cans of grain. (I remember growing up I had some poor friends who got the government bricks of butter, cans of flour, and bricks of cheese. I never knew what it was but didn’t care) Now they don’t even have to use actual stamps. They get an EBT card. NOW, they won’t even have to get off their asses to drive to the grocery store?
SICK!!!
And YOU are paying for it ALL!.......................
Now you know ‘delivery’ isn’t free, it wrapped up in the cost of the stuff being delivered, so they will be getting less ‘stuff’ per dollar spent, and so will need MORE EBT funds to cover the costs.
And BTW, Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon is a BIG LIB DONOR to the DEMS, so this is his ‘reward’.....................
They don't deliver. I use the on-line shopping service occasionally and I have to stop at the store. They have everything waiting for me, load into the truck of my car and off I go.
I really like it when either I don't have time to shop or if it is snowy and ugly out.
we have PeaPod here in Chicago. I know some folks my age who use it, especially if there is snow outside, etc.
I haven’t used it, but eat breakfast with a buddy who loves it. He says it’s kinda pricey (he compares it to slightly higher than Jewel Foods, if you know who they are). Not Aldi prices to be sure.
But, he says they lug the food up to his 5th floor apartment for him, for him it’s worth it, but he pays his own way for this convenience. Not the feds.
Already exists.
Check on-line to see if any of your local Megalo-Marts have it available.
You still have to pick it up but they will have it bagged and waiting for you.
I expect delivery services will soon start popping up.
Establishing No-Go Zones in the USA?
At least online grocers aren’t going to fake ring up a sale and hand them cash.
SNAP should be done away with, but I don’t see this as any more prone to fraud than EBT use at brick-and-mortar stores.
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