Online Grocery Shopping by NYC Public Housing Residents Using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Benefits: A Service Ecosystems Perspective

Nevin Cohen, Katherine Tomaino Fraser, Chloe Arnow, Michelle Mulcahy and Christophe Hille
Additional contact information
Nevin Cohen: Department of Health Policy and Management, CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, New York, NY 10027, USA
Katherine Tomaino Fraser: CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute, New York, NY 10027, USA
Chloe Arnow: Enterprise Community Partners, Inc., New York, NY 10004, USA
Michelle Mulcahy: Enterprise Community Partners, Inc., New York, NY 10004, USA
Christophe Hille: Karen Karp & Partners, P.O. Box 515, Southold, NY 11971, USA

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 11, 1-13

Abstract: This paper examines adoption of online grocery shopping, and potential cost and time savings compared to brick and mortar food retailers, by New York City public housing residents using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. A mixed methods action research project involving the co-creation of an online shopping club, the Farragut Food Club (FFC), recruited 300 members who registered to shop online using SNAP, and received waivers on delivery minimums and provided technical assistance and centralized food delivery. We conducted a survey (n = 206) and focus groups to understand shopping practices; FFC members collected receipts of groceries over two weeks before and after the pilot to measure foods purchased, stores patronized, and prices. We interviewed FFC members to elicit experiences with the pilot, and estimated cost differences between products purchased in brick and mortar stores and equivalent products online, and transportation time and cost differences. Online shopping represented a small (2.4%) percentage of grocery spending. Unit prices for products purchased on Amazon ($0.28) were significantly higher than for equivalent products purchased in brick and mortar stores ($0.23) ( p < 0.001.) Compatibility with existing routines, low relative advantage, and cost of online products limited the adoption of online shopping among SNAP users.

Keywords: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); food stamps; food access; online grocery shopping; innovation diffusion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:11:p:4694-:d:369014

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