![\"\"](\"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/shauniceW_bio.png\")
Shaunice Wall is NCL’s\u00a0Linda Golodner Food Safety and Nutrition Fellow<\/em><\/p>\nOn April 18, 2018, Amazon and other retailers launched a <\/span>two-year test (pilot) <\/span>program <\/span>to <\/span>boost food access to <\/span>some of New York<\/span>\u2019s 2.7 million Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants<\/span>.<\/span> Beneficiaries<\/span>\u00a0will <\/span>be <\/span>able to use their SNAP <\/span>benefits to order groceries online and have them delivered directly to their door.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPeople who receive SNAP benefits should have the opportunity to shop for food the same way more and more Americans shop for food\u2013by ordering and paying for groceries online<\/span>,\u201d said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue.<\/span> \u201c<\/span>As technology advances, it is important for SNAP to advance too, so we can ensure the same shopping options are available for both non-SNAP and SNAP recipients<\/span>.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n T<\/span>he <\/span>pilot will test both online ordering and payment<\/span>. It will also <\/span>work to ensure that orders are <\/span>processed safely and securely, according to the<\/span> United States Department of Agriculture <\/span>(<\/span>USDA<\/span>)<\/span>. SNAP participants will be able to use their benefits to purchase eligible food items, but<\/span> not <\/span>pay for s<\/span>ervice or delivery charges.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The program will <\/span>also <\/span>add <\/span>a new SNAP redemption option, with broad selection, low prices, and the convenience of home delivery without requiring a membership fee. As Amazon expands participating areas throughout the life of the pilot, they believe the program will dramatically increase access to food for <\/span>customers living in rural and remote locations.<\/span><\/p>\n The USDA defines food deserts as communities where one-third of the population lives at least one mile away from a supermarket in an urban area and 10 miles away in a rural area.<\/span> For SNAP beneficiaries, it is often the simplest \u2013 or sometimes the only \u2013 option to use their electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card at convenience stores<\/span> or gas stations<\/span>, which often have <\/span>only a<\/span> sparse supply of produce and fresh protein.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe ultimate goal of this pilot is to pave the way for a national rollout once the USDA identifies the best path to large-scale implementation,\u201d says Amazon. NCL recognizes that the advancement of SNAP takes on a larger significance because of the argument by conservatives that the program \u201ccosts too much, has grown too quickly, encourages government dependency and discourages work<\/a>.<\/span>\u201d NCL supports SNAP <\/span>and this exciting online system, if it works, well, will address the dearth of healthy food options for millions of Americans in food desserts or who cannot, for lack of <\/span>transportation<\/span>,<\/span> health or disability reasons, get to a supermarket <\/span>and choose from healthier <\/span>options.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"photo](\"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/thumbnail_image002.jpg\" "\\"vegetables")
\u201c<\/span>SNAP <\/span>is one of the most efficient and important public benefit programs,\u201d said Shaunice Wall, NCL\u2019s Linda Golodner Food Safety and Nutrition Fellow.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201cSNAP helps reduce<\/span> food insecurity<\/span> and<\/span> improves the <\/span>nutrition of millions, <\/span>especially among the most vulnerable Americans. For many Americans living in food deserts, online food retailers are sometimes the only way to stock refrigerators,\u201d NCL <\/span>supports this collaboration between USDA and Amazon.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Stats](\"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Amazon_and_SNAP_pilot_program.png\" "\\"Stats")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/thumbnail_image003.jpg\" "\\"vegetables")
The pilot will start with <\/span>SNAP households with EBT cards issued by New York.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Online retailers will only be able to deliver in New York.\u00a0The <\/span>plan is for the <\/span>pilot <\/span>to<\/span> eventually expand to other areas of New York as well as Alabama, Iowa, Maryland, Nebraska, New Jersey, Oregon<\/span>,<\/span> and Washington. Lessons learned <\/span>will then allow expansion of <\/span>online purchasing in SNAP.<\/span><\/p>\n