Shipt to Accept SNAP EBT Payments Helping Increase Food Access to Almost 74 percent  of Food Deserts

Starting today, retail technology company Shipt announced it will accept SNAP EBT (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) payments on marketplace orders. This upgrade to Shipt’s marketplace will increase access to healthy, affordable foods to almost 74 percent of America’s food deserts  and to more than 86 million Americans living in communities where more than 1 in 10 households receive SNAP EBT benefits*.

SNAP recipients will have access to a discounted monthly membership offer of $4.99, which is more than 50 percent  off a standard Shipt monthly membership. This Shipt membership offer for SNAP EBT recipients does not expire at any time and grants members access to all of Shipt’s exclusive membership benefits such as $0 delivery fee with a $35 order minimum and Shipt’s beloved Preferred Shopper feature. SNAP recipients will be able to use their benefits towards marketplace orders from Meijer and Target.

“Keeping people at the center of everything we do is part of our DNA as a company, and one concrete way Shipt puts this value to work is by helping communities tackle food insecurity,” said Shipt VP of Economic and Social Impact Khadijah Abdullah. “Accepting SNAP EBT payments is another step in Shipt’s efforts to reduce hunger, and we are proud to help more Americans access affordable, nutritious foods in a convenient way– no matter their income, their transportation resources or where they live.”

By accepting SNAP EBT payments on marketplace orders, Shipt is helping eliminate a key barrier and providing greater access to affordable, nutritious food. The University of Michigan and Shipt have collaborated on several research projects demonstrating the benefits of grocery delivery to individuals with low income or food insecurity:

• In one study, researchers found that grocery delivery services improved access to healthy foods for 70 percent of participants. The study assessed the feasibility of a program to deliver healthy foods to pregnant youth with low income.
• Another project, funded by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, – which tested the viability of a program to provide food stipends and delivery services to improve the health of individuals with low income or food insecurity and Type 2 diabetes – underscores the important role delivery services play in connecting underserved populations to nutritious foods. The initial results show that a majority of participants reported that grocery delivery helped them make healthier meals and that they were more aware of their food choices.

“No one organization can solve food insecurity alone – it takes a collection of voices coming together to support and advocate for communities in need,” said Alliance to End HungerPresident Eric Mitchell. “We applaud Shipt’s upgrades to accept SNAP EBT payments  and are thrilled to have such a community-minded company join us in our mission to end hunger.”

The SNAP EBT announcement is the latest milestone in Shipt’s initiatives to reduce food insecurity and increase access to nutritious foods, which were previously announced at the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition  and Health. Shipt has also provided more than 12 million meals for food-insecure individuals through its longtime partnership with Feeding America  and since 2022, has awarded $500,000 through its annual grants program to community organizations and nonprofits focused on addressing food insecurity, economic disparities and workforce development.

Shipt will be working with Worldpay as the payment processor for SNAP EBT payments. SNAP recipients interested in learning more about Shipt can visit Shipt’s official website.

*Based on census tract population data in the Shipt coverage area. Shipt coverage areas can map to multiple census tracts. Shipt defines a ‘food desert’ using the following definition provided by the USDA in the Food Access Research Atlas 2019: “Low-income census tracts where a significant number (at least 500 people) or share (at least 33 percent) of the population is greater than 1 mile from the nearest supermarket, supercenter or large grocery store for an urban area or greater than 10 miles for a rural area.