South Dakota Grocer to Accept Online SNAP Payments for Grocery Purchases
Buche Foods has become the first independent grocer in South Dakota to accept Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) payments for online grocery purchases, as of Sept. 13.
“Buche Foods is proud to be a leader in offering this convenience to SNAP customers in South Dakota,” said R.F. Buche, president of the GF Buche Co., which operates 15 grocery and convenience stores in nine communities throughout the state. “This will go a long way toward helping the food insecure in our state by increasing access to healthy foods like fresh fruits and vegetables.”
SNAP, a public-private partnership, provides monthly benefits for low-income families to purchase groceries. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (USDA FNS) recently expanded a pilot program to enable retailers to accept SNAP payments online.
“Launching SNAP online would not have been possible without the support of Rob Belcore with RSA America LLC, the Buche Co. team, USDA FNS, the National Grocers Association (NGA), Gov. Noem, Sens. Thune and Rounds, and Rep. Johnson,” added Buche.
The program also drives economic growth in communities across the United States. A recent study from Washington, D.C.-based NGA found that SNAP purchase activity at retail stores was responsible for generating $1 billion-plus in 2020 federal tax receipts and contributed to more than $975 million in state and local taxes. The study also showed that SNAP is responsible for nearly 200,000 grocery industry jobs, along with almost 45,000 jobs in such supporting industries as agriculture, manufacturing, transportation and municipal services.
Currently operated by the fourth generation of the Buche family, GF Buche Co. employs 350 people and operates grocery stores under the Buche Foods banner in Gregory, Mission, Oacoma, Pine Ridge, Sisseton and Wagner, S.D. The company’s convenience stores, located in Lake Andes, Mission, Wanblee, White River and Wagner, S.D., are known as Gus Stops, after company founder Gus Buche.
Other retailers that have recently rolled out or expanded online SNAP purchasing capability include Ahold Delhaize banners Stop & Shop, The Giant Co., Giant Food, and Food Lion, as well as Tops Markets LLC and Schnuck Markets.
Ahold Delhaize USA, a division of Zaandam, Netherlands-based Ahold Delhaize, is the parent company for Ahold Delhaize’s U.S. companies, consisting of Food Lion, Giant Food, The Giant Co., Hannaford, and Stop & Shop, as well as e-grocer Peapod; Retail Business Services, a U.S. support services company providing services to the brands; and Peapod Digital Labs, its e-commerce engine. Operating more than 2,000 stores across 23 states, Ahold Delhaize USA is No. 10 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in the United States, while St. Louis-based Schnucks is No. 64 on PG’s list, and Williamsville, N.Y.-based Tops, operating 157 supermarkets, with five additional franchise stores, and employing 15,000 associates in New York, northern Pennsylvania, and western Vermont, is No. 66.
