Florida food stamp recipients can shop online to avoid coronavirus exposure

TALLAHASSEE — Low-income people in the state’s major food-assistance program will be able to make online grocery purchases to help protect them from the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

State Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said the U.S. Department of Agriculture had approved the online-purchase plan for Florida’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

In all, about 3 million Floridians, or about 14 percent of the population, qualify for SNAP, formerly known as food stamps.

Participants in the program, which is administered by the Florida Department of Children and Families, use electronic benefits cards similar to ATM cards to buy food.

“Through this innovative pilot program, SNAP households can purchase food online and pay using their EBT card at pick up, among other options,” Fried said in a prepared statement released Saturday. “This reduces shopping risk from COVID-19, helps fulfill consumer demand and keeps Florida-grown products moving to families.”

The announcement from Fried’s office said the Department of Children and Families would determine the structure of the online program.

Fried’s agency also is working with DCF to add a new program to allow families who qualify for free and reduced lunch at school to become eligible for SNAP benefits.