Are there any meal kits that accept EBT?

Meal delivery kits such as HelloFresh, Blue Apron, and Home Chef do not accept EBT and are not authorized to accept SNAP. However, there are alternatives to these meal kits that are SNAP-eligible, and can serve a similar purpose.

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SNAP-approved meal kit alternatives#snap-approved-meal-kit-alternatives

SNAP Express Meal Kits#snap-express-meal-kits

SNAP Express is a free online service from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that lets you pick nutritionist-designed meal kits or build your own using a database of more than 250 low-cost, healthy recipes. The site tells you the average cost of the meal kit (which will vary depending on location) and how many servings it includes. This service does not pre-prepare or portion ingredients, the way companies like Blue Apron do.

A sample pre-designed meal kit is their “Easy Kid Friendly Meals” kit, which includes baked flaked chicken, scrambled egg muffins, tasty fruit quesadilla, along with 6 other dishes. You can look for meal kits based on diet and lifestyle (ex- comfort food) and family size, and you can search for individual recipes based on meal (ex- breakfast)

To use SNAP Express, select a recipe or meal kit from the site, download the recipe files, and choose your preferred grocery store from their approved partners. All of the ingredients you need will automatically be added to your shopping cart. If you don’t need certain ingredients, you can remove them from your cart. You can buy the groceries online for delivery or pickup.

SNAP Express partners with Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, and Instacart. If you’re using a different online grocery service, you’ll need to manually add the recipe ingredients.

Grocery delivery#grocery-delivery

If the goal is getting groceries delivered to your home, there are plenty of alternatives to meal kits. You can use your EBT card to shop through Instacart at certain retailers. Instacart+, their monthly subscription service, offers a discount for people who’ve used EBT to order from Instacart in the last 6 months. DoorDash also accepts EBT for SNAP-eligible items.

You can also use EBT at other, online-only retailers like Thrive Market or Amazon (in participating states).

Another option is to order free curbside pickup from some EBT-eligible stores. Some food banks and pantries will also deliver food if you meet certain criteria.

Nonprofit meal delivery programs#nonprofit-meal-delivery-programs

If you’re looking for meal delivery to your home, Meals on Wheels provides prepared meals for seniors and people who are homebound and in need of assistance.

You may qualify for Meals on Wheels if you’re:

• Over 60, with mobility challenges that make it hard to grocery shop

Age requirements and eligibility vary by area and provider. Some local programs may also serve those who are:

• Under 60 and homebound
• Caregiving for a person who is over 60 or homebound
• Temporarily recovering from surgery or illness, or in other circumstances that make preparing meals difficult

Reach out to your local Meals on Wheels chapter to find out what’s available near you.

Why don’t meal kit companies take SNAP?#why-dont-meal-kit-companies-take-snap

SNAP benefits are meant to be used at retail food stores where you buy food to take home to prepare and eat. These retailers must meet eligibility requirements including stocking and selling a certain amount of staple food items (such as dairy products and meat). In order to accept EBT, businesses have to apply for and get SNAP authorization from the USDA.

Meal kits are typically based on a subscription delivery model. They are not prohibited from accepting EBT, but their business model doesn’t quite fit with SNAP retailer authorization rules.

If you aren’t sure what you can buy with your SNAP benefits, remember this: if it has a “Nutrition Facts” label and you can eat it, you can usually buy it with SNAP.