Seattle area food stamp recipients can order groceries from Amazon

SEATTLE -- Food stamp recipients in the greater Seattle area are now able to use their nutrition assistance benefits to order groceries online from Amazon and have them delivered to their door, according to a news release from the online retail giant.

It's part of a pilot program launched with the U.S. Department of Agriculture that will roll out to SNAP recipients in the rest of Washington state soon. Washington state is the second in the nation to participate in the pilot program. SNAP recipients in New York state have been shopping online since 2019.

"We believe in the goals of this program and its potential to significantly extend the value of SNAP benefits," an Amazon spokesperson said in the release. "As we expand participating areas throughout the life of the pilot, Amazon believes the program will dramatically increase access to food for more remote customers and help to mitigate the public health crisis of food deserts."

In addition to enabling SNAP EBT as a payment method, Amazon has made Amazon Fresh and Pantry available to Washington SNAP recipients without a Prime membership and free shipping available. The same services are offered in New York.