Amazon has a new Prime program for the millions of Americans who have EBT cards. The new policy is causing America’s grocers to complain to Washington, D.C. that the online giant may not be playing by the rules. Politico’s Morning Agriculture Report says USDA feels Amazon isn’t doing anything wrong. The grocery store industry is telling USDA officials and lawmakers that the Prime deal, which includes rapid free shipping and other perks, violates a USDA rule mandating equal treatment for the 42 million people on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. A grocery store insider who wanted to remain anonymous told Politico’s Morning Ag Report that the “Marketplace has been ruffled. It’s an unfair targeting of SNAP recipients which is creating an unfair playing field.” Grocery retailers are asking lawmakers to take another look at SNAP program guidelines. Those rules are understood to mean that retailers can neither discriminate against SNAP recipients or give them preferential treatment and special programs.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.