USDA Tells Grocery Stores: No Special Discounts for SNAP Recipients

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) informed grocery stores they cannot offer discounts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients amid the government shutdown. 

The notice on the USDA’s website said that SNAP-authorized grocers “must offer eligible goods at the same prices and on the same terms and conditions” to SNAP recipients. It also states that unless a store has a waiver allowing it to bypass the program’s equal treatment requirement, “offering discounts or services only to SNAP paying customers is a SNAP violation.”

National Grocers Association (NGA) Vice President David Cutler confirmed to The Hill … that the email was sent to grocers. The NGA represents more than 21,000 independent grocery stores around the country.

To read more, please visit The Hill.