Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries in the greater Seattle area are now able to use their nutrition assistance benefits to order groceries online from Amazon as well as other participating retailers and have them delivered directly to their door, thanks to a pilot program launched with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). SNAP recipients in the rest of Washington state will soon have access to the pilot program, and SNAP recipients in New York state have been shopping online since 2019.
This is the first time that hundreds of thousands of SNAP recipients in Washington can redeem their grocery benefits online. Amazon enthusiastically volunteered to work with the USDA and participate in this landmark pilot because we believe in the goals of this program and its potential to significantly extend the value of SNAP benefits. In addition to enabling SNAP EBT as a payment method, Amazon has made Amazon Fresh and Pantry available to Washington SNAP recipients without a Prime membership and free shipping available, just as it did in New York last year.
With online acceptance of SNAP, Amazon’s selection, competitive pricing, and home delivery can improve the grocery shopping experience for SNAP participants, while also helping them extend their benefits further. Access to Amazon’s grocery selection, as well as Amazon Fresh and Pantry, increases access for low-income Washington residents by adding a new SNAP redemption option and the convenience of home delivery. As we expand participating areas throughout the life of the pilot, Amazon believes the program will dramatically increase access to food for more remote customers and help to mitigate the public health crisis of food deserts.
Amazon is proud to continue participating in the USDA SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot, expanding the offering from New York to Washington and beyond in 2020. We remain committed to making food accessible through online grocery shopping, offering all customers convenience, time savings, and low prices.
For more information, please visit www.amazon.com/snap.