Americans with food stamps will be able to do some of their shopping online starting in this summer.
Amazon and Fresh Direct, along with seven other online retailers, will start accepting food stamps from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Business Insider reported.
"Amazon is excited to participate in the USDA SNAP online purchasing pilot," the company said in a press release. "We are committed to making food accessible through online grocery shopping, offering all customers the lowest prices possible."
Other retailers in the two-year pilot program include Safeway, Hy-Vee, Dash's Market, Shop Rite and Hart's Local Grocers. Customers in Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, Iowa, and Oregon will be the first to access the program but the USDA says it wants to expand and add more retailers.
"Online purchasing is a potential lifeline for SNAP participants living in urban neighborhoods and rural communities where access to healthy food choices can be limited," USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said. "We're looking forward to being able to bring the benefits of the online market to low-income Americans participating in SNAP."
More than 43 million low-income American rely on the SNAP program. Nearly half of participants are children, 10 percent are over 60, and more than 40 percent of recipients live in households with earnings.