To increase the number of merchants accepting SNAP benefits for online shopping, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service is accepting applications for a $5 million competitive grant.
The American Rescue Plan is funding the grant, which will be awarded this fall. Applications must be submitted by September 6 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
The USDA said in a statement on July 7 that an organisation that can provide technical support to retailers to make SNAP online shopping available and give SNAP participants a wider selection of retailers to choose from when shopping for groceries online will be funded by the supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program Electronic Benefits Transfer ( SNAP EBT) Modernization Technical Assistance Center grant.
According to Stacy Dean, the USDA’s deputy undersecretary for food, nutrition, and consumer services, “online grocery shopping is a key resource that enhances access and convenience for everyone, especially low-income families.”
“We are enthusiastic about the potential for this funding to give new and existing businesses tools to redeem SNAP benefits in ways that improve the customer experience for SNAP participants, especially those who face challenges getting to a physical shop,” the statement reads.
Smaller merchants were unable to enter the e-commerce market since larger companies were the first to provide SNAP online shopping in the grocery sector.
The USDA “hopes the technical support offered would help these smaller, independent retailers offer online purchase for SNAP participants” through this fund, according to the USDA.
The USDA stated that it also anticipates that the expansion will increase SNAP users’ options, benefit rural regions, and take into account cultural dietary preferences.
The number of SNAP households shopping online increased significantly in May, according to the USDA.
Just over 3 million SNAP households made an online purchase, a significant increase over the 35,000 SNAP households that made an online purchase in March 2020, according to the report.
The USDA said that their “rapid expansion of the pilot programme at the outset of the pandemic” is to blame in large part for this surge.
The organisation also stated that during the previous two years, it has gained over 130 retailers, who collectively represent thousands of outlets.
According to Cyrus Huncharek, a senior public policy analyst at the National Disability Rights Network, “SNAP online purchasing is particularly important to the communities we serve due to continued fear of contracting COVID-19 in a grocery store, the risk of exposure to other transmissible diseases, accessibility issues both in store and with transportation, and pre-existing burdens on family caregivers.”
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The Biden Administration said last month that the USDA will provide schools roughly $1 billion more in cash to help them buy foods grown in the United States for their meal programmes.
And on June 1, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack unveiled the USDA’s framework for food systems transformation, which aims to strengthen the food supply chain and revamp the food system to make it more equitable, competitive, and resilient.
