Massachusetts SNAP Accepted By Amazon and Soon Uber Eats

Those who rely on the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to provide food assistance for themselves and their families will get a new option after the first of the year.

According to ABC News, "Uber recently announced updates to its food and delivery platform Uber Eats, which starting in 2024 will allow users to pay for groceries using SNAP and EBT benefits in the app."

As WBSM reported in June 2023, "More than one million Massachusetts residents receive SNAP benefits. More than 33 percent are in working families."

An Uber press release says, "We know that online food delivery can have a meaningful impact in reducing barriers to fresh groceries, especially for the most vulnerable – including people living in food deserts, seniors, and those facing disabilities or transportation barriers."

The company says, "Helping to improve access to quality food is incredibly important to our work at Uber, and we're proud to use Uber's technology and extensive local delivery networks to offer SNAP recipients the ability to use their benefits to access fresh groceries conveniently from our app in 2024."

Massachusetts SNAP recipients already have several online options available to them.

The Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance says, "Massachusetts residents who receive SNAP benefits can use their EBT card to buy food online from Amazon, BJs, Daily Table, Geissler's Supermarket, Shaw's, Star Market, Stop & Shop, and Walmart, as well as ALDI, Big Y, Bother's Marketplace, Hannaford, McKinnon's Supermarkets, Price Chopper, Price Rite Marketplace, Roche Brothers, Sudbury Farms, and Wegmans via Instacart."

Many of the above-mentioned businesses have locations in and around the New Bedford area.

ABC reported Uber "follows a similar move by competitor Instacart, which in August became the first online grocery marketplace to accept SNAP payments in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., after first launching the payment option in 2020."