How to order groceries from amazon with ebt

Raquel Reichard is an award-winning journalist whose work focuses on Latinx culture, politics, music and health. She has been an editor at leading Latinx news outlets, like Latina magazine, Remezcla and mitú. Additionally, her writing has been published in outlets like The New York Times, Refinery29, Cosmopolitan, Teen Vogue, MTV, Bustle, Mic, Fader, Vibe and Well+Good, among many others. A proud Nuyoflorican, she lives in Orlando, Florida, and has roots in Puerto Rico and New York.

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published May 30, 2021

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For too long in the United States, a person’s socioeconomic status has determined their access to quality, healthful foods. Poorer families are more likely to live in food deserts than their wealthier counterparts. Without access to a car, carrying groceries home from neighborhood supermarkets can still be difficult. And for some who live with physical disabilities, in-person shopping isn’t an option, nor is it affordable to use a grocery delivery service.

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“We can set up natural grocery stores, food pantries and community fridges, but what good are these resources if the community cannot access them?” Destiny DeJesus, an organizer with the food and environmental justice collective Veggie Mijas, tells Apartment Therapy. “People living in low-income communities deserve access to healthy and quality foods just like anyone else would, and removing barriers from something as simple as access to food shouldn’t even be a topic of conversation. Food is essential.”

Hoping to expand access to quality foods, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) introduced a pilot program in 2019 to open up online grocery shopping to those on public assistance. The program, which has been especially critical to families during the Covid-19 pandemic, enables those who receive SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits to use their EBT cards for online grocery shopping at chains like Publix, Food Lion, ALDI, Walmart, BJs Wholesale Club, FoodMaxx, Hays Supermarket, and more. 

“Online grocery shopping has become a vital resource for increasing food access, especially for those who live in parts of America with limited access to food. Expanding online purchasing in SNAP means increasing access to healthy and nutritious foods to millions of SNAP participants, and we are dedicated to working with any state and retailer partners that are interested in getting on board,” the USDA told Apartment Therapy in a statement.

Among the retailers participating in the program is Amazon Fresh, which offers grocery items like produce, meats, and dairy. Below, we break down how people on SNAP EBT can access same-day and next-day deliveries of veggies, fruits, and more on Amazon Fresh without an Amazon Prime membership.

Find out if your state participates in the program.

Currently, 47 states and the District of Columbia participate in the USDA program, with 97 percent of SNAP participants having access to it. Alaska, Louisiana, and Montana are the only states that haven’t enabled the program.

Amazon Fresh is a retailer with the program in each of the 47 states except for Hawaii, where only Walmart presently participates. A complete and updated list of retailers and states active in the online purchasing pilot can be found at the USDA website. As of April 2021, more than 1.8 million households who use SNAP have shopped for groceries online.

Do your digital grocery shopping.

After finding out if you’re able to use your EBT card for Amazon Fresh in your state, visit the online retailer and start adding items to your cart. Similar to an in-person supermarket, goods are categorized by produce, meats, dairy, spirits, and more. Like all Amazon Fresh customers, you are limited to 75 unique items per order. 

If you’re overwhelmed by the options available online, it can help to draft a grocery list before you add to cart, or poke around for affordable meal plan ideas. As DeJesus points out, true food justice extends beyond widening access to quality food; it’s also about educating and empowering people through their purchasing decisions. “When we think of food access, we have to think beyond food. Many times, those who live in low-income communities not only lack access to funds but also knowledge of nutrition,” she says.

“Healthy” is defined differently for everyone, and DeJesus believes it’s important that grassroots collectives and nonprofits do more to support and educate lower-income communities without shaming them or perpetuating dangerous ideas about “healthy” eating that are actually rooted in diet culture.

Check out with your EBT number.

Once you’ve crossed off all the items on your grocery list, click on your cart to check out. You’ll be able to preview everything in your cart before placing your order. Once you do, you’ll need to set a location for doorstep delivery and select a day and time slot for your package to arrive. After that, you’ll select a payment method, and EBT should be listed as the last option on the payment list. Add your EBT card by typing in the name on the card as well as the card number, submit and continue with your purchase.

Note: An Amazon Prime membership is not needed for shopping through the program, and free shipping is available for those receiving public benefits for items on both Amazon Fresh and Amazon Pantry orders, so you don’t have to worry about the rates assigned to the daily delivery options.