On April 18, 2019, the U.S. Department of Agriculture launched a two-year pilot allowing some SNAP households to select and pay for groceries online. Moving the purchase to a digital checkout could help people who had difficulty reaching stores, but USDA described improved access as a goal to evaluate, not a result already shown. [shared-be69111c81640ea6bbcb0eab8f9bffed00d003f6c09b448cd74e0c24a44fcc13]
The initial market was narrow: households needed New York-issued EBT cards, and delivery was limited to pilot areas. Amazon and Walmart participated at launch; ShopRite was due the following week. Amazon and ShopRite served New York City, while Walmart offered online service upstate. This tested how established retailers could bring the benefit into online commerce, not whether new entrants could compete on equal terms. [shared-be69111c81640ea6bbcb0eab8f9bffed00d003f6c09b448cd74e0c24a44fcc13]
SNAP benefits could pay for eligible food, not service or delivery charges; those costs remained outside the benefit transaction. USDA said expansion depended on a successful launch and other states’ readiness. Checkout alone would not prove the broader promise: evidence would need to show customers could reach the service and more retailers could participate. The announcement reported no such results yet. [shared-be69111c81640ea6bbcb0eab8f9bffed00d003f6c09b448cd74e0c24a44fcc13]