Does Family Foods Accept EBT Card, SNAP Or Food Stamps Payment – The USDA Food and Nutrition Service has authorized countless stores and retailers including farmers markets to accept EBT cards as a method of payment. The EBT gets released each month to allow beneficiaries access food benefits from authorized retail outlets for the purchase of eligible food and beverages.
Individuals who are enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program often wonder whether Family Foods accept EBT or not. In this comprehensive guide, we will provide an overview of Family Food’s EBT acceptance policy and will also throw light on alternate retailers where you can use your EBT card for in-store or online purchases.
Highlights of this Post
Key Takeaways
- Family Foods accepts EBT for in-store purchases of eligible food items.
- Non-eligible items include cosmetics, household supplies, and hot prepared meals.
- EBT cards work similarly to debit cards and are loaded monthly with SNAP benefits.
- Many major retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Target also accept EBT for online purchases.
- USDA authorizes stores individually for EBT acceptance, requiring them to meet specific criteria.
Overview Of The SNAP EBT Program
EBT or Electronic Benefits Transfer card holds a particular amount of funds you receive from the government as a part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. There are even other food assistance programs in the USA that use EBT cards to help people pay for their food. To qualify for the SNAP you need to be unable to purchase food for yourself and belong to the low-income category. Every state has its criteria when it comes to qualifying for the SNAP EBT card.
As per Pew Research Center reports in April 2023 around 41.9 million Americans in 22.2 million households were eligible for the SNAP EBT program which accounts for 12.5% of the entire U.S. population. The card works similarly to a debit card and gets loaded with specific funds every month for the recipients to buy eligible food at approved retail stores.
What Is Family Foods?
Family Foods is a North Carolina-based local grocery store that offers a variety of household essentials and food products to the community. The grocery store puts special emphasis on meeting the daily needs of individuals and families so the establishment provides a comfortable and convenient shopping experience in the area they run.
Family Foods accepts EBT through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program so you can purchase eligible food like fruits or vegetables, meat, fish, poultry, bread and cereals and even snacks and non-alcoholic beverages here. Cosmetics, medicines, vitamins, household supplies, soap, paper products, hygiene products and hot prepared meals served at Family Foods are not SNAP eligible.
You can also read about whether the popular grocery chain Fresh Market accepts EBT or not in our next guide.
Does Family Foods Take Food Stamps, SNAP or EBT?
Yes, Family Foods accepts a variety of payment options for the comfort and convenience of its customers. The grocery stores accept major debit and credit cards, WIC vouchers and EBT cards as viable means of payment.
To learn more details about the type of food available and their EBT policy you can contact Family Foods at 252-357-1466. You can also visit the store in person and about their EBT acceptance rules at this address: 947 NC Highway 37 N Gates NC 27937
Why Shop With Family Foods?
Family Food Gates is a family-owned and operated grocery store that prides itself on providing a clean store with a friendly surface and a fast checkout. A lot of Americans travel from afar to get the best selection of meat items at competitive prices here.
Family Foods Gates provides on-site butchers to provide a custom-cut meat seven days a week. They also stock a variety of items and groceries to meet your dietary needs. Besides, the grocery store is also accepting a wide array of payments with promotions and sales ads to attract their customers.
If you’re looking for sustainably sourced products at a fraction of the price then you can shop with family foods. Their fully stocked shelves, friendly staff and handcuffed meats set them apart from other grocery stores. Family Foods Gates provides a large variety of produce that they source locally whenever possible. Their butchered meats are fresh, never frozen and are hand-selected by their expert butchers.
Do you know which retailers in California accept EBT payments? Head over to our next guide to learn about the comprehensive list.
What Can I Purchase With My EBT Card At Family Foods?
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides EBT cards to eligible individuals and families that they can use at authorized stores or supermarkets to purchase necessary grocery items to feed their families. Following is the list of EBT-eligible goods that you can cover with your EBT card.
- Milk and Dairy Products: This includes all types of milk, yogurt, cheese and butter
- Bread and cereals: This includes all types of bread, crackers, cereals, pasta, oatmeal and rice.
- Meat, poultry and fish: This comprises all forms of meat such as pork, beef, turkey, chicken, fish and lamb
- Beverages: While, you cannot purchase hot coffee, teas or lettuce using your SNAP benefits card. You can purchase brew-it-yourself tea and coffee using SNAP benefits including cold beverages like cold drinks, fountain drinks, smoothies, and iced coffees that are intended for human consumption.
- Fruits and vegetables: All types of fresh, canned or frozen fruits and vegetables are allowed for EBT purchase.
- Water and bags of ice: You can use your food stamp benefits to purchase bottled water as well as bags of ice. SNAP recipients can also buy block dyes and crushed ice with EBT funds.
- Protein powders, shakes and bars: You can purchase meal replacement shakes, protein powders, bars or any other shakes that come with a Nutrition Facts label instead of a Supplements Facts label
- Plant, seeds and seedlings: You can use your food stamp benefits to pick up plants, seeds or seedlings that can help you produce fruits, vegetables or herbs at your home.
- Baby Formula: You can use SNAP benefits to purchase infant formula including cereals, baby food and juices to feed your baby.
- Live Lobsters and Seafood: You can use your SNAP benefits to purchase live seafood such as lobsters, clams, and shrimp including live fish removed from the water.
- Snack items: This includes chips, cheese, crackers, and gift baskets comprising eligible food items.
- Bakery cakes and edible food decorations: You can use your food stamp benefits for purchasing cakes, pastries, and edible food decorations as long as the non-edible decoration account is not more than half of the cake cost.
Do you know whether Grocery Outlet accepts EBT or not? Learn the answer in our next guide.
What Can’t I Purchase With My EBT At Family Foods?
While you can cover a lot of food items with your EBT card or food stamps, many items cannot be purchased with EBT benefits. Let’s take a look at the following items that are not allowed to be purchased with SNAP EBT funds.
- Alcohol and Tobacco Products: This includes beer, wine, tobacco, cigarettes, liquor, low-alcohol beers labeled as liquor-filled chocolates, non-alcoholic, Alcoholic wine, e-liquid for electronic cigarettes etc. However, you can use the EBT card to purchase wine vinegar, wine, and vanilla extract as they can be used for cooking ingredients.
- Medicine, Vitamins and Supplements: Any item that comprises the Supplement Facts Label is a supplement and cannot be purchased with EBT or SNAP benefits. You cannot buy vitamins, medicines and supplements with your EBT card.
- Hot Prepared Food: This includes hot cocoa, chili stew, prepared meats or any restaurant meals.
- Live Animals: You cannot purchase live animals using your EBT card however there are exceptions such as live shellfish, live fish removed from water, animals slaughtered before pickup from the store etc.
- Non-Food Items: This includes cleaning supplies from pet food, cosmetics, hygiene items for cooking utensils etc.
Following are the consequences that you may face if you make any unapproved food purchase at any grocery store using your EBT card– a 3 three-month ban for the first unapproved SNAP purchase, a year ban for the second unapproved SNAP purchase and a two-year ban for the third unapproved SNAP purchase.
You can also read about whether the popular pharmacy chain Rite Aid accepts EBT or not in our next guide.
Can I Purchase Hot Prepared Meals From Family Foods?
Family Foods is not only known for its amazing collection of grocery items but also for serving hot prepared delicious meals to its customers. These include chicken drumsticks, steaks, chicken wings, corned beef brisket, pork baby back ribs, and many other meat delicacies.
However, food stamps or EBT cards cannot be used for hot-prepared meals. This is because the USDA SNAP guidelines do not permit the use of food stamp benefits for hot or prepared food that can be eaten at the store. You can’t use your Electronic Benefits Transfer Card for the purchase of eligible food items in the store.
How To Use EBT Cards At Family Foods?
The payment process of using your EBT card at Family Foods is simple. You need to proceed to the checkout counter of the store you’re considering, insert or swipe your EBT card at the counter and enter your PIN just like you use your debit or credit card. The payment system at the grocery store will deduct the EBT balance for the approved items and the cashier will process your transaction.
To use your EBT card online at major retail stores you need to sign into the retailer’s account, find the payment section and add your EBT card details to the account. The next step is to shop, binge your card and check out EBT-eligible items. When it comes to paying using EBT as a method of payment just enter the four-digit PIN to confirm the order.
You can also read about whether the popular delivery service Grubhub accepts EBT or not in our next guide.
Can I Use My EBT Card At Family Foods For Online Grocery Delivery And Pick Up?
The USDA has expanded SNAP benefits in the form of an Online Purchasing Pilot Program to benefit its beneficiaries who are unable to shop for food due to limited mobility, transportation barriers or other issues. Family Foods accepts EBT for in-store purchases and there is not much information available about whether it accepts EBT payments for online orders.
However, if trips to the grocery store seem to be a challenge then you can use your EBT card for grocery delivery and pick-up at other retailers and stores that are enrolled in the Online Purchasing Pilot Program.
In the below section of the guide, we have mentioned a list of retailers that accept EBT benefits online.
Amazon
Amazon is accepting EBT through two of its popular online portals— Amazon Fresh and Groceries on Amazon. Those who want to use their EBT card online must create an account with Amazon. You can get free delivery through Amazon Fresh in case your SNAP-eligible purchases are for $35 or more. Otherwise, you have to pay a small fee that you cannot cover with your EBT card.
Walmart
Walmart is another popular online retailer that accepts EBT cards for the purchase of groceries online. The retailer is committed to helping SNAP beneficiaries access healthy, affordable and nutritious food by enrolling in the U.S Online Purchasing Pilot Program.
Target
Target is a popular grocery retailer in America that accepts SNAP benefits as a form of payment both in-store and online from SNAP beneficiaries. Shoppers can buy eligible grocery items and products on Target.com and get them delivered through its delivery service known as Shipt. The same-day grocery delivery option comes with the cost of $9.99 whereas Shipt members get free delivery on orders above $35.
DoorDash
DoorDash is another online platform where EBT is accepted as a method of payment online for Californians. Sources on DoorDash that accept cards are Pavilions, Vons, Star Market, Albertson, Safeway, ALDI, Meijer etc. You need to create an account with DoorDash to use the online platform to purchase goods with EBT cards.
Instacart
Being one of the biggest grocery chains in the United States of America, Instacart accepts payments from SNAP recipients and helps them purchase food items and groceries at participating locations. You can use your EBT card for online grocery delivery and pickup with Instacart.
Safeway
Safeway is an American supermarket chain that is operating today as a banner of the Albertsons company and is one of the largest drug and food retailers in the United States of America. Safeway is one of the United States retailers that has been approved by the Department of Agriculture to accept EBT or SNAP benefits online from SNAP beneficiaries.
A few more resources are as follows:
- Kroger
- Acme Markets
- AJ’s Fine Foods
- Speedway
- Associated Food Stores
- Bashas
- Big Y Foods
- Foodtown
- Fred Meyer
- Stater Bros
- Fry’s Food Stores
- Giant Eagle
- Giant Food
- Whole Foods Market
- Harris Teeter
- Albertsons
- Wegmans
- Shell
- Weis Markets
- Whole Foods
- Jewel-Osco
- King Soopers
- Kings Food Markets
- Hannaford Supermarkets
- Lowe’s Grocery
- 99 Ranch Market
- BJ’s Wholesale Club
- Bravo Supermarkets
- Brookshire’s
- Smart and Final
- City Market
- Dillons Stores
- Food 4 Less
- Food City
- Sprouts
- Food Lion
- Publix
- QFC Supermarkets
- Raley’s
- Shaw’s
- ShopRite
- Smith’s Food and Drug
- WinCo
- Ralphs
- Save Mart
- Schnucks Market
- CVS
- Stop & Shop
- Super 1 Foods
- H Mart
- Kroger
- Jubilee Foods
- Superior Grocers
- Tops Markets
- Trader Joe’s
- Vons
- Meijer
- Piggly Wiggly
- Pick N Save
- Price Chopper
- Walgreens
- Fareway Meat & Grocery
- Fine Fare Supermarkets
- Thrive Market
- Publix
Read about the comprehensive list of SNAP-eligible goods and grocery stores that accept EBT payments online in our next guide.
Do Family Food Supermarkets In Florida Accept EBT?
Yes, Family Food Supermarket is a popular supermarket serving in Orlando FL that is known for accepting EBT cards as a method of payment. You can enjoy a variety of products from the supermarket chain and cover the cost with your best benefits.
Family Foods Supermarket is known for its reasonable prices and high-quality products. You can enjoy groceries, meat, snacks, non-alcoholic beverages and many other products all in one place.
Why Doesn’t Every Grocery Store In America Accept EBT or Food Stamps?
Each grocery store needs to apply for the EBT program individually and be authorized by the USDA to process EBT. They must meet at least three units of three different varieties for each staple food category. Therefore a small store that carries only one variety of bread or cereal will not qualify for the SNAP EBT program.
Another criterion to accept EBT payments requires grocery stores to have more than 50% of the total gross retail sales coming from staple food. While most of the grocery stores qualify under the USDA criterion it can be difficult for small stores to meet all the requirements. They need to carry at least three varieties of food items across four categories: breads and cereals, dairy products, meat, poultry and fish, vegetables or fruits and dairy products.
The varieties must also include three units of one perishable food choice in two categories. The principal food can include anything that requires refrigeration or freezing and if the store carries canned vegetables with no fresh vegetables or fruit it will not qualify. Stores that are not EBT-approved either fail to meet eligibility requirements or do not want to go through the SNAP approval process. The license to accept SNAP is required to be renewed every five years and also requires a frequent visit from the government to verify qualification.
Conclusion
Americans who qualify for the SNAP EBT program have no shortage of grocery stores or retailers to choose from. From major grocery chains, specialty stores like Trader Joe’s and big box chains like Target and Walmart to local family-owned and operated Family Foods of Gates many USDA-authorized stores accept EBT payments. Those who love shopping with Family Foods will be pleased to note that this retailer is accepting EBT for in-store purchases for SNAP-eligible items. If going to the grocery seems to be a burden then you can take a look at the aforementioned retailers that are enrolled in the Online Purchasing Pilot Program run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service.
Our comprehensive guide at Get Government Grants will help you to make the best decision for yourself and your family. Head over to our blog section today to improve the financial situation of your family. We are passionate about helping people find relevant answers to their questions.
