Instacart And Raley's Expand Access To Food With Launch Of Online SNAP Benefit Acceptance

Payment integration enables online EBT SNAP acceptance at 98 Raley’s banner’s store locations in California and Nevada

Instacart, the leading grocery technology company in North America, and Raley’s today launched online Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) acceptance for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants at 83 Raley’s banner’s store locations across California. The expanded partnership builds on the companies’ 15-store Nevada payment integration launch earlier this year and allows customers to use their SNAP benefits to purchase groceries for same-day delivery from grocery banners Raley’s, Bel Air Markets and Nob Hill Foods. With today’s launch, SNAP participants can now use their benefits to shop online for groceries from 98 Raley’s banner’s stores across both California and Nevada.

According to Feeding America, more than 3.5 million people in California are food insecure, meaning one in 11 Californians lack reliable access to healthy food ^[1]. Many struggle to get the nutrition they need because they cannot fit healthy foods into their budgets, lack reliable transportation, or have mobility issues, but access to online grocery has proven to help. In fact, a 2022 study published by No Kid Hungry, the University of Kentucky and Instacart showed that access to online grocery and delivery helps low-income families – including SNAP participants – stretch their food budgets, save time, overcome transportation barriers, reduce stress and stigma, and adopt healthier lifestyles ^[2]. The study also found that SNAP recipients who grocery shop online purchase more fruits and vegetables than in-store shoppers, without increasing their total grocery bill ^[3].

“We’re proud to partner with Raley’s – an independent, family-owned grocer that has served the Northern California community for generations – to enable online EBT SNAP payment acceptance and help more local families put nutritious food on the table,” said Sarah Mastrorocco, Vice President and General Manager of Health for Instacart. “Nutrition security is a fundamental area of focus for Instacart because we know that access to healthy foods can play a critical role in promoting well-being and preventing disease.”

“As part of our continued commitment to nourishing the health and well-being of the communities we serve, we’re proud to enable EBT SNAP payment acceptance online for the first time in California through our partnership with Instacart,” said Chelsea Minor, Executive Director, Community Impact & Public Affairs at The Raley’s Companies. “Pairing online benefits acceptance with same-day delivery will increase access to healthy food, and we look forward to the positive impact this new offering brings to Raley’s customers across California and Nevada.”

Launched in 2022, Instacart Health is dedicated to increasing nutrition security, making healthy choices easier for consumers, and expanding the role that food can play in improving health outcomes. As part of this work, Instacart has enabled EBT SNAP online payment nationwide with more than 70 retailer banners, spanning more than 8,000 stores across 49 states and Washington D.C. The Raley’s Companies and Instacart first launched online EBT SNAP payment integration in 2022 at 111 Bashas’ banner locations in Arizona, expanded to 15 Raley’s stores in Nevada earlier this year, and today launched 83 Raley’s, Bel Air Markets and Nob Hill Foods locations in California. Where available, now SNAP participants can shop from AJ’s Fine Foods, Bashas’, Bel Air Markets, Eddie’s Country Store, Food City, Nob Hill Foods or Raley’s via the Instacart App to have their fresh foods delivery in as fast as 30-minutes or scheduled several days in advance. For more information about EBT SNAP on Instacart, visit www.instacart.com/ebt-snap.

^[1.] Feeding America. “Map the Meal Gap 2022.” July 2022. https://map.feedingamerica.org/county/2020/overall/california

^{[2.]; [3.]} Anderson Steeves, E., DeWitt, E., Gillespie, R., Trude, A., Gustafson, A., “Barriers and facilitators to online grocery shopping among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Participants: A Mixed Method Study”. Ecology of Food and Nutrition, accepted for publication 2022 https://bestpractices.nokidhungry.org/resource/executive-summary-online-grocery-shopping-study