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An integration between online delivery service Instacart and grocery chain Aldi that lets customers use government benefits to order grocery deliveries has seen fast expansion since the program launched in October. Almost 1,000 Aldi stores in 23 states plus the District of Columbia have been added to the program in recent days, Instacart announced Thursday.
The service, which opens delivery online or via Instacart’s app to recipients of Electronic Benefit Transfer and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (EBT SNAP) benefits, started in Georgia in November at more than 60 Aldi locations and early this month added more than 570 stores in Illinois, California, Florida, and Pennsylvania. Now, the program has grown to include about 90% of Aldi’s U.S. locations in 29 states plus the District of Columbia. Altogether, Aldi operates stores in 37 states.
The fast expansion of the EBT SNAP pilot follows approval from the Food and Nutrition Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, Instacart said. “Today, we’re proud to further our mission and continue our commitment to being a long-term solution for EBT SNAP households across America,” said Andrew Nodes, vice president of retail at Instacart, in a statement. “We’re proud of the work we’ve done with Aldi and the USDA Food and Nutrition Service to unlock EBT SNAP online payments for more families, and we look forward to continuing to expand this important program.”
To use the service, benefits recipients create a profile on the Instacart site or in its mobile app and enter their EBT food card data as a payment type. They must also enter a secondary form of payment for non-food goods. By entering a ZIP Code, users can find the nearest store and begin selecting items. Orders can be delivered as quickly as an hour or scheduled for future times, Instacart says.
