From Food Deserts to Fresh Food: The Role of Digital Accessibility in Nutrition Assistance Programs

Abstract

One in ten U.S. households experience food insecurity, with millions of low-income families lacking access to fresh food. In response, federal and state governments recently launched the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Online Purchasing Pilot (SNAP Online), enabling SNAP benefits to cover online food purchases. While prior research suggests that the SNAP Online program may increase overall food consumption, its impact on fresh food consumption remains unclear. With concerns about its limited impact on dietary quality, the SNAP program has recently come under pressure, with policymakers proposing budget cuts and imposing stricter restrictions on eligible food purchases. This research leverages NielsenIQ consumer panel data and employs a Difference-inDifferences approach to address this question. Our findings reveal that the SNAP Online program increases fresh food consumption among low-income households by 7.1%. However, the effect is minimal in areas with limited access to online grocery delivery and among households with poor prior fresh food consumption habits. These results underscore the potential of supply-side policies, such as expanding online purchasing options, to improve fresh food consumption. They also highlight the importance of addressing demand-side barriers and enhancing digital accessibility to maximize the effectiveness of nutrition assistance programs.

Keywords: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Online Delivery, Food Desert, Digital Access