New York Food Assistance Recipients to Try Online Grocery Shopping

Associated Press reports Amazon and Walmart are kicking off a two-year pilot launch established by the government to allow low-income shoppers on government food assistance to select and pay for their groceries online in New York.

According to AP, the USDA has long required that customers using electronic benefits transfer, or EBT, pay for their purchases at the actual time and place of sale. So the move marks the first time SNAP customers can pay for their groceries online. It says the pilot will eventually expand to other retailers and to several other states.

It will test both online ordering and payment.