WASHINGTON -- NACS submitted official comments to the federal agency that oversees the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is considering expanding requirements that food retailers must meet in order to redeem SNAP benefits.  Specifically, USDA is looking at prohibiting stores from redeeming SNAP benefits – even if the store meets all of the program’s prerequisites – based on volume of sales of non-SNAP items, such as alcohol or tobacco. This is part of a concerted effort to make it more difficult for convenience stores to participate in the program. 

In a letter co-signed by NACS and SIGMA, the comments read: “Making it more difficult for retailers to redeem SNAP benefits will in turn make it more difficult for beneficiaries to access the nutrition they need. This is not consistent with the Program’s purpose.”

The comments addressed the two concerns raised by the USDA: “The Agency appears to be fallaciously conflating two separate and distinct issues: SNAP fraud and SNAP beneficiary purchasing decisions.  Those two issues have nothing to do with one another. They have different unrelated solutions.  Recognizing this fundamental fact is a necessary first step toward improving the Program. If the Agency conflates the two issues, it will solve neither of them.  Instead, it will generate unintended consequences that will make it more difficult for less affluent Americans to buy food.”

NACS believes that once a retailer meets the necessary eligibility requirements to redeem SNAP benefits, it should be allowed to participate in the program.  Furthermore, this change would cause significant hardship for financially challenged Americans, especially for those who live in rural or deeply urban communities who depend on convenience stores to access food on a regular basis.

Click here to review the entire comments.