Customers may now utilise Electric Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to pay for grocery delivery using the DoorDash app, according to the firm, which will help decrease barriers to fresh goods.
Millions of Americans lost access to emergency SNAP payments given as a remedy to rising food poverty during the epidemic in February. The loss exacerbated many Americans’ growing anxiety about access to healthful and dependable food supplies; according to a recent Urban Institute research, 25% of Americans are food insecure.
But, the DoorDash expansion intends to enable more beneficiaries to obtain SNAP-eligible food delivered straight to their doorstep, similar to the EBT choices given by grocery delivery service Instacart.
The new payment alternatives will first be available in select retailers such as ALDI, Albertsons, Safeway, Meijer, and 7-Eleven. Customers will be able to access and purchase SNAP-eligible grocery products and convenience items at over 2,200 ALDI outlets across 38 states, 260 Meijer retail locations, and 130 participating 7-Eleven locations beginning in July. Consumers will also be able to make SNAP-eligible food purchases and place home delivery orders at 900 Safeway and 380 Albertsons stores nationwide. According to the firm, customers may link their DoorDash accounts to the grocer’s loyalty rewards programmes as well.
The latest upgrade will affect “more than 2.3 million people living in USDA-defined food deserts and over 4.3 million people living in neighbourhoods where more than one in ten households receives SNAP/EBT payments,” according to DoorDash.
The extended option complements DoorDash’s Project DASH programme, which was established in 2018 in collaboration with food banks and pantries to link social impact organisations with their recipients.
“The Coalition to End Hunger is pleased that DoorDash has expanded its offerings to include SNAP users. Improved access is a critical issue for ensuring food security across the country, and DoorDash is taking a positive and commonsense step in today’s tech-friendly world “said Eric Mitchell, executive director of the Alliance to End Hunger, a coalition of corporations, nonprofit and faith-based organisations, universities, foundations, international organisations, and individuals working to alleviate global hunger and malnutrition.
Despite the fact that there will be more than 41 million SNAP users in 2022, fewer than 100 retailers offered EBT payment options for online grocery orders as of April 2022, indicating a significant gap in the need for accessible grocery options, particularly for recipients with disabilities or childcare needs that make shopping or picking up orders in-person difficult. But, the market for digital EBT food and grocery alternatives is expanding, with DoorDash’s new upgrade being the most recent example of this type of software integration.
“Food access has been transformed by the emergence of on-demand grocery delivery. This is especially true for vulnerable groups such as elders, individuals living in food deserts, and those who have mobility or transportation challenges “said Fuad Hannon, DoorDash’s vice president of New Verticals.
“Enabling SNAP recipients to order groceries through DoorDash can help families meet childcare and work obligations, relieve seniors of the potential stress of going to the grocery store, and support people with disabilities who face mobility issues by allowing them to access nutritious food efficiently and affordably with same-day delivery,” according to the company’s announcement. “We are excited to serve SNAP-using households and enhance food availability by allowing them to utilise their SNAP benefits at their favourite grocery shops in a way that provides choice and convenience.”
Customers may add a SNAP or EBT card straight to the DoorDash app’s payment method area, under “Program Cards.” By enrolling an eligible card, new DoorDash customers will receive two months of DashPass (DoorDash’s free delivery membership programme) for free.