Shoppers who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or, a federal program to provide food benefits to low-income households, will soon have even easier options for online grocery shopping.
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. "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 said in a press release.
, more than 41 million U.S. consumers participate in SNAP/EBT, over 65% of whom are families with children. Over 41% of SNAP participants are working families and over 36% are "in families with members who are older adults or are disabled," according to the think tank. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress made many temporary improvements to SNAP benefits, but as of February 2023 the emergency allotments had expired nationwide.