Washington, D.C. – The Nationwide Grocers Affiliation (NGA) strongly helps provisions included within the Home Agriculture Committee Farm Invoice textual content to modernize the Supplemental Vitamin Help Program (SNAP), strengthen program integrity, and develop entry to wholesome meals in communities nationwide.
“Unbiased grocers function on razor-thin margins, and transaction charges on SNAP purchases have lengthy threatened to impose detrimental prices on the very shops that function the spine of meals entry in rural and low-income communities,” stated Stephanie Johnson, NGA’s group vp of presidency relations. “We respect Congress’s budgetary constraints and are grateful for the inclusion of the five-year ban on EBT charges. We stay dedicated to working with lawmakers to completely get rid of these charges so grocers can proceed serving households with out being penalized for collaborating in a crucial federal diet program,” she concluded.
The laws additionally makes significant enhancements to the Gus Schumacher Vitamin Incentive Program by permitting incentives for use on frozen vegetables and fruit and decreasing the required match in high-poverty areas. These adjustments will develop year-round entry to nutritious meals whereas making it much less burdensome for unbiased grocers in economically distressed communities to take part.
NGA can be happy to see language making SNAP on-line buying everlasting nationwide. As we noticed through the pandemic, on-line entry is crucial for seniors, households with younger youngsters, and people with disabilities. Offering readability and permanence ensures retailers can make investments confidently in know-how and infrastructure that meet fashionable procuring wants.
Lastly, the invoice advances long-overdue EBT modernization efforts, together with the transition to chip-enabled playing cards and stronger fraud-prevention instruments to battle dangerous EBT skimming. Safeguarding SNAP advantages in opposition to fraud protects each recipients and taxpayers and provides retailers the knowledge they should function securely.
“Unbiased grocers are proud to function trusted SNAP companions on Fundamental Avenue, typically as the one full-service meals retailer of their communities,” Johnson added. “These provisions strengthen this system by enhancing accountability, increasing entry to recent and nutritious choices, and supporting the crucial work native grocers do to maintain communities fed. We sit up for persevering with to work with Congress to advance reforms that construct a safer, fashionable, and accessible diet system for years to return.”
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In regards to the Nationwide Grocers Affiliation
NGA is the nationwide commerce affiliation representing the retail and wholesale neighborhood grocers that comprise the unbiased sector of the meals distribution trade. An unbiased retailer is a privately owned or managed meals retail firm working a wide range of codecs. The unbiased grocery sector is accountable for about 1.2 % of the nation’s general financial system and is answerable for producing greater than $250 billion in gross sales, 1.1 million jobs, $39 billion in wages and $36 billion in taxes. NGA members embody retail and wholesale grocers situated in each congressional district throughout the nation, in addition to state grocers’ associations, producers and repair suppliers.
