From staff reports
The state Department of Human Services announced ALDI has joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s pilot program allowing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients to purchase groceries online in partnership with Instacart.
ALDI is the fifth retailer in Pennsylvania to be approved for the pilot, which allows SNAP recipients to purchase groceries online using SNAP funds through participating retailers approved by the USDA.
“Pennsylvania joined the online SNAP purchasing pilot to increase the number of ways SNAP recipients across Pennsylvania could safely shop for fresh groceries and pantry staples and help mitigate the need to leave their home and be in public during the public health crisis,” DHS Secretary Teresa Miller said in a news release.
ALDI joins four other approved retailers: Walmart, Amazon, the Fresh Grocer and Shoprite. Since the program’s launch, these four retailers saw about $54.4 million in online SNAP purchases by Pennsylvanians since the pilot launched in Pennsylvania in June, the release said.
Retailers interested in participating must contact the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service and review the requirements, the release said.
Retailers that do not wish to join the pilot program may still offer delivery or pickup flexibility options for SNAP recipients by using mobile EBT processing equipment that would allow customers to pay with SNAP when groceries are delivered or picked up, the release said.
Farmers markets may be able to receive this processing equipment at no cost through a grant opportunity provided by DHS, according to the release.
