California recently became one of the states that will allow recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to purchase grocery and food delivery online. Approval for the practice was announced back in April by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue.
California’s more than four million individuals representing more than 2.2 million households are now able to use their SNAP benefits known as CalFresh for online grocery shopping and delivery. Some of the retailers authorized to receive the SNAP benefits include Amazon and Walmart.
The California Department of Social Services will be working to expand the number of retailers who are authorized to participate in the pilot program. While CalFresh benefits can be used to buy food through the online retailers, they cannot be used to pay for delivery fees or any other fees related to online purchases. The pilot program is expected to continue for as long as the shelter in place order remains in effect.
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