Safeway Launches Online SNAP Purchasing & Expands Food Insecurity Initiatives

Check out this article about some of the work we are doing to welcome SNAP customers and increase access to healthy food:

National supermarket chain Safeway has announced several initiatives aimed at addressing food insecurity. Launching this month, Safeway is now accepting food stamp dollars for online purchases for home delivery or pickup. This new online purchasing program will allow participating shoppers to manage their benefits in real-time via Safeway’s e-commerce platform. This announcement builds upon Safeway’s participation in two other initiatives, based in Washington State, aimed at fighting food insecurity and increasing access to healthy food.

Food insecurity rates have increased dramatically during the Covid-19 pandemic. Feeding America, the nation’s largest network of food banks, saw a 50 percent increase in charitable food assistance, with approximately 1 in every 5 adults reporting that they sought food assistance as a result of the pandemic’s economic consequences. According to USDA data, more than 40 million Americans are now enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps.

As of January 2022, Safeway stores will now accept SNAP payments online. Safeway’s move follows months of coordination with USDA. In March 2021, the USDA announced that increasing access to online grocery purchasing was a priority area for improving SNAP and “ensuring that all struggling families can get the nutritious food they need.”