Online grocery shopping leaves food deserts

To increase Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries’ access to grocers, the 2014 U.S. Farm Bill included an Online Purchase Pilot (OPP) that allows beneficiaries in eight states to use SNAP to purchase groceries online. In a study published in JAMA Network Open, researchers examined the availability of grocery delivery in USDA-designated food deserts, defined as low-income communities with limited vehicular access and grocer availability. The researchers then quantified the proportion of both rural and urban USDA-designated food deserts currently serviceable by online grocery purchase and delivery in the eight OPP states.

The researchers identified food deserts in eight states by working with data from the USDA and the U.S. Census Bureau. They also made use of a database of all stores that both sold and delivered groceries purchased online in the eight states (including department stores and big-box retailers) and also accepted orders from SNAP clients.

The researchers found that in the eight OPP states, food deserts composed 1,250 of 13,134 total census tracts (9.5%), within which 506,863 of 2,760,482 SNAP households (18.4%) were located. Among 1,191 urban food desert census tracts, 1,108 census tracts (93.0%) were fully deliverable through online grocery purchase and delivery, 13 census tracts (1.1%) were partially deliverable, and 70 census tracts (5.9%) were not deliverable. Among 59 rural food desert census tracts, no census tracts were fully deliverable, 18 census tracts (30.5%) were partially deliverable, and 41 census tracts (69.5%) were not deliverable (Table 2).

Results were similar for SNAP households within food deserts: 456,263 urban households (92.9%) were fully deliverable, 6,466 urban households (1.3%) were partially deliverable, and 28,472 urban households (5.8%) were not deliverable, whereas no rural households were fully deliverable, 6,121 rural households (39.1%) were partially deliverable, and 9,541 rural households (60.9%) were not deliverable.

“Our results suggest that existing grocery delivery networks, when combined with online grocery-purchasing, could potentially strengthen access to groceries in many areas where it is most lacking. However, grocery delivery fees are not covered by SNAP and may deter online purchasing. To help maximize OPP benefits in food desert census tracts, the USDA could consider extending SNAP benefits for both online grocery purchasing (as in the OPP) and delivery, although rural areas may be least affected,” concluded the researchers.

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