Foodshare

Friday, August 5, 2016

SNAP shopping online

USDA is working to bring online purchasing to people who use SNAP benefits. Online purchasing could improve access to healthy food for those living in food deserts or who are unable to physically shop on their own due to a disability or transportation barrier. Setting up an online systems involves several challenges. Online SNAP purchases need a higher level of security than most other online purchases. For example, unlike other online financial transactions, SNAP debit transactions require a secure customer-entered PIN. Another challenge is that any online purchase system must be able to work with the individual state systems for processing SNAP EBT transactions. This fall, USDA plans to seek retailers interested in participating in online demonstration projects. Once selected, these retailers will begin their own system development to handle a number of SNAP specific tasks in the online world, including separating SNAP eligible and ineligible items, allowing transactions that use both cash and SNAP, exempting SNAP items from sales tax, and charging (or not charging) bottle deposits, coupons,and delivery fees, among other issues.


Source: USDA, 8/2/16, SNAP Online

No comments:

Post a Comment