The push for recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, to shop online has been hailed by anti-hunger activists as a win-win solution to food insecurity. Locally, one out of every 10 households lacks access to affordable, healthy food on a consistent basis.
Supermarkets, they say, will offer greater convenience and better access to healthier food while reducing stigma by providing the same customer payment experiences as non-SNAP consumers.
But trying to keep pace with stores like Walmart and Amazon, who are already providing online SNAP shopping, will severely burden the hundreds of less tech-savvy neighborhood corner stores and bodegas, often one of the only grocery providers in low-income areas.
