Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue this week approved 13 states for online food purchases with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. Once operational, online purchasing will be available in 36 states and the District of Columbia, home to more than 90 percent of SNAP participants.
Perdue also announced an expansion of independently owned and operated retail stores beyond those included in the original pilot. Soon more SNAP authorized retailers, under multiple store banners, will be accepting SNAP benefits online.
Perdue says online food purchases “will go a long way in helping Americans follow CDC social distancing guidelines.” On April 18, 2019, Perdue announced the launch of the two-year SNAP online purchasing pilot that began in New York before being rolled out to additional states.
In less than six weeks, amidst an unprecedented situation, USDA has expanded SNAP online purchasing to 36 states and the District of Columbia. Currently, the SNAP online purchasing pilot is operational in 18 states and the District of Columbia, with additional states going live each week.
