Forage, a third-party payment processor that authenticates and processes EBT transactions, announced that it is one of three online EBT processors listed on the USDA website and approved by the agency. This news comes just after the company raised $22 million in funding.
Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the USDA expanded the original online purchasing pilot for SNAP EBT payments which was introduced in 2016, to include eight retailers in 2020. Recently Forage began working with the USDA to further expand that pool.
Forage CEO Ofek Lavian said in a statement, “Forage has been working towards USDA certification for months, and we’re thrilled to be one of only three companies to date that have met this high bar. Our focus now is on ensuring the success of our merchant partners as they go live with online EBT acceptance in the coming weeks.”
While more than 250,000 brick and mortar locations accept EBT in-store, a much smaller percentage have been approved for online transactions with EBT. Many SNAP recipients are homebound, lack transportation options, or live in a food desert without access to grocery stores, and others choose to avoid in-person shopping due to pandemic concerns. As a result, online EBT purchasing tools have become a necessity.
“This news is a huge win-win for both retailers and consumers,” said national anti-hunger leader Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America, a direct service and advocacy nonprofit , in a statement. “Giving more SNAP EBT recipients the ability to order groceries online, especially coupled with home deliveries, should be a much higher priority in the grocery industry. With this new approval, Forage will help more food retailers do well for themselves while doing good for their communities.”
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