SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Forage, a mission-driven payments company enabling merchants to accept EBT SNAP online, announced an expansion in their partnership with Flashfood, launching EBT SNAP online for Tops Friendly Markets on the Flashfood app. With 1 in 8 Americans currently receiving government assistance to purchase food, and nearly 1 in 5 having received SNAP benefits or food stamps at some point in their lives, Forage is partnering with merchants to more seamlessly enable EBT SNAP online, a critical part of their mission to increasing access to affordable, healthy food.
According to the USDA, the number of SNAP households that shopped online between March 2020 and April 2023 has increased by 100x, from 35,000 to 3.7 million. Despite this, fewer than 300 retailers accept EBT as a payment method online, while more than 250,000 retailers accept EBT in-store. Many SNAP recipients are homebound, lack transportation, or live in a food desert without easy access to grocery stores. The ability to shop online and use EBT as a payment method provides an important path to ensuring those in need have access to affordable, healthy food.
Tops’ shoppers can browse the Flashfood marketplace to buy heavily discounted groceries directly on their phone as a way to save up to 50% off high-quality items nearing their best-by date, such as meat, dairy, seafood, fresh fruits and vegetables, bakery items, center-store foods and more. As of today, purchases can be paid for with their EBT card and then picked up from the Flashfood Zone located inside participating stores.
“As a company committed to feeding more families, we’re thrilled to expand our partnership with Flashfood and launch EBT as an online payment method for Tops Friendly Markets,” said Forage Co-founder and CEO, Ofek Lavian. “We are proud to help provide access to affordable, healthy groceries for low-income Americans that continue to struggle with the realities of food insecurity and inflation.”
Forage, who received USDA approval to process EBT transactions in August 2022, is a San Francisco based Fintech company using technology to democratize access to government benefits. To date, Forage is the primary processor of EBT payments for Shopify merchants, and partners with independent grocers, marketplaces and platforms to power EBT SNAP online.
About Forage
Forage builds payments infrastructure that processes government benefits, starting with enabling merchants to accept EBT SNAP payments online, and allowing the 42 million Americans who receive government assistance to digitally purchase their groceries. Forage is the only USDA-approved third-party payment processor (TPP) that offers their partners best-in-class software combined with dedicated service, enabling complex government payments online and guiding retailers through USDA authorization. For more information visit www.joinforage.com.
