Kroger announces through their newsroom that the company will now be expanding on features for SNAP recipients by accepting EBT payments online for delivery and pickup.
Kroger's Chairman and CEO, Rodney McMullen, talks about the expansion: \"We believe everyone should have access to fresh, affordable, and nutritious food. I am so proud of our passionate teams who works closely with the USDA to remove barriers to healthy foods so that more of America can access the food they need to thrive.\"
The announcement article shares that Kroger Family of Stores had been collaborating with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (USDA) \"over many months\" to authorize the digital acceptance of EBT for all Kroger stores nationwide.
The company notes that they recognize how online payments make it easier for SNAP recipients to purchase fresh, healthy food. Kroger Family of Stores goes a step further to bring more ease to online grocery shopping by promoting another online feature: Kroger's OptUP nutrition rating system.
OptUp is free for customers and shows nutritional facts on items that the customer has added to their cart. The article also states that in addition to being able to browse through nutrition facts, there will be \"'better-for-you' alternatives and shop items aligned to specialized diets, including low sodium, no sugar added or contains probiotics.\"
Small steps like providing healthier alternatives and having features specifically designed to cater to specialized diets are sure to incentivize customers to purchase healthier foods, since they won't need to go searching for the information.
To use SNAP benefits at Kroger, SNAP recipients need to follow three simple steps to add their EBT card to their account. First, they should log in to their Kroger account or create a new one if they don't have it yet. Second, they need to update their payment cards by adding their SNAP EBT card. Finally, they can start their grocery order for either pickup or delivery.
While Kroger had already been accepting SNAP EBT payments, the company recognized the need to continue to diminish food barriers for their communities by creating a feature that shows the nutritional facts on items and promotes healthier alternatives.
It is important that companies make themselves accessible to as many people as possible. Although some businesses have started accepting SNAP EBT payments, they need to understand that accepting SNAP EBT is only the initial step. They will need to follow many more steps to ensure accessibility and inclusivity for everyone, just like Kroger Family of Stores did with their newest features.