Why Can’t Online Grocers Accept SNAP?

Food waste may be one of the most obvious problems facing our food system, but there’s an equally big problem hiding in nearly all of our biggest and most affluent cities: food deserts. A food desert, or “food apartheid,” as our friend Olympia Auset of SuprMarkt has dubbed the problem, is an area with no grocery stores nearby. In modern America they’re shockingly widespread, and one of the more glaring examples of how low-income Americans are systematically denied access to basic human rights like healthy food.

In theory, grocery delivery services can combat food deserts by democratizing access to healthy food. They effectively bring healthy food right to the people that need them instead of forcing people to travel long distances to get to certain grocery stores. However, since more than 6% of Americans don’t have a bank, it’s undeniable that online grocers need to prioritize accessibility to avoid excluding low-income shoppers. Indeed, Philadelphia recently made headlines for banning cashless stores, arguing that they effectively discriminate against people who do not have access to a debit card and may depend on cash to pay for food.

Which brings us to the most important issue in this debate: the fact that SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly called food stamps) recipients cannot currently use their SNAP benefits or EBT cards to pay for food online. This means that while companies like Imperfect have enormous potential to bring healthy food where it’s needed most, governmental red tape currently holds us back.

Thankfully, things may be changing soon. The USDA is currently running a pilot program that makes it easier for big retailers like Walmart and Amazon to accept SNAP payments online. If this pilot is successful, we are hopeful that one day companies like us will have no barriers to delivering food to anyone who needs it.

Since we cannot yet accept SNAP payments online but still are committed to making healthy food more accessible for everyone, we created a reduced cost box program for anyone who qualifies for SNAP benefits. Our reduced cost box customers get their groceries from us for about 50% less than grocery store prices. For full transparency, we do not make money off of these boxes; we provide additional price reductions because we believe that all of our neighbors deserve access to healthy groceries, regardless of income.

While SNAP is still stuck in online purgatory (for now), we’re proud to have created our own work around solution that has a noticeable impact wherever we deliver. To date, we’ve delivered more than 295,000 reduced cost boxes to more than 21,000 households. Folks across the country are benefitting from this program and their stories honestly move us every day. Here’s what Shayna from San Antonio had to say about her reduced cost box:

“My husband is a 100% disabled combat veteran and we have been using your service since he was medically retired…and we honestly wouldn’t have food on our table without your service and help…thank you for all you do for people and for our community and veterans!”

Stories from folks like Shayna remind us how fundamental it is to fight to make sure everyone has access to healthy food. Through our work with our food bank partners and our reduced cost box program, we’ve seen firsthand how many other positive things happen when families can get nutritious meals in an easy and dignified way. While government policy hasn’t quite caught up to the gravity of the food desert problem, our reduced cost box program renews our faith in the power of groceries when it comes to building a more equitable and compassionate food system for everyone. We’re deeply grateful to Imperfect customers for supporting this program through their subscriptions. Our community’s unwavering belief in the importance of food accessibility is the only reason we’ve been able to grow our reduced cost boxes to the scale that we have. We’re optimistic that together we can build a more equitable food landscape where food desserts can one day become a thing of the past.