For many of us, statewide shelter in place orders are inconvenient, yet important, aspects of the new normal: life in the era of COVID-19. Affected Americans are increasingly relying on home delivery services to get their groceries, and many take comfort in the ease of getting food delivered to their doorstep with minimal physical contact. However, the food insecure, who rely on federally funded SNAP benefits (food stamps, EBT), are not able to take advantage of online ordering in many states. This highlights a disparity in equity – the impoverished are made to put themselves at greater risk of contracting coronavirus in order to secure food, as they have to visit physical grocers, rather than virtual ones.

So how are states reconciling the parameters of SNAP benefit use with stay at home orders? Several states, including New York and Washington, have participated in a pilot program to

make SNAP benefits available online, with more states to follow. This gives those struggling with food insecurity the ability to order online, minimizing the risk of transmission or contraction.

However, SNAP beneficiaries are only able to order online from Amazon and Walmart in most states. Even these vendors have restrictions on the items that are available to buyers, with Amazon indicating, “SNAP EBT can be used on eligible items that are shipped and sold by Amazon.” (emphasis added) Amazon’s service necessarily precludes buying from other vendors, which gives the SNAP beneficiary less option to buy varied foods from sellers in their local regions. This, in effect, has a downstream effect on small local farmers who cannot compete with Amazon to sell their produce, especially under current catastrophic economic circumstances.

Sure, allowing online SNAP use on Amazon and Walmart helps – but is it only a bandaid on a systemic issue that requires more attention?

Sources:

https://thefern.org/ag_insider/most-snap-recipients-cant-buy-groceries-online-now-some-states- push-for-change/

https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/online-purchasing-pilot https://www.amazon.com/snap-ebt/b?ie=UTF8&node=19097785011&nocache=1586528626250

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Supplemental_Nutrition_Assistance_Program_logo.svg

https://www.amazon.com/snap-ebt/b?ie=UTF8&node=19097785011&nocache=1586528626250