Brief Access for All: Innovation for Equitable SNAP Delivery
Heather Hahn, Rayanne Hawkins, Alexander Carther, Alena Stern
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The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps millions of households with low or no incomes purchase food. Households currently access SNAP benefits using electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards, which work like debit cards. With new payment technologies available and with the growing need for online purchasing options amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it is vital that SNAP benefit delivery evolves to ensure participants can purchase food in the same manner as other customers. We interviewed national SNAP experts, state officials, consumer advocates, and representatives of food retailers, EBT processors, and related technology companies to understand the current EBT system and how future benefit delivery could be more equitable and inclusive.

Research Areas Social safety net
Tags Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Hunger and food assistance
Policy Centers Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population Research to Action Lab