Cardenas Markets Now Accepting EBT SNAP Payments Via Instacart

Cardenas Markets, one of the largest Hispanic grocery chains in the U.S., has become the first national Latin retailer to accept Electronic Benefits Transfer and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (EBT SNAP) payments on the Instacart marketplace, the companies announced Feb. 24.

The same day, Local Express, an e-commerce solution designed for independent grocery stores, announced the launch of its new SNAP Payments Integration, with both announcements having one common goal in mind: greater access to food.

Cardenas will accept EBT SNAP payments at its 59 stores in California, Arizona and Nevada. Additionally, the Ontario, Calif.-based retailer announced it is introducing pickup at select stores in San Jose and Las Vegas via Instacart, with plans to expand further in the coming months.

“We are consistently looking for ways to make the Cardenas Markets shopping experience even more convenient and accessible for all of our customers,” Adam Salgado, chief marketing officer for Cardenas, said in a release.

Cardenas first partnered with Instacart in December 2020 to offer same-day delivery and has since expanded its partnership across all store locations.

“At Instacart, providing people greater access to food is at the core of our mission, and we’re proud to deepen our partnership with Cardenas Markets to provide more families a convenient, accessible way to get their fresh food and pantry staples,” said Sarah Mastrorocco, VP of access to food and nutrition for Instacart. “We recognize the importance of expanding our EBT SNAP offering, and partnering with key Latin grocer Cardenas Markets is an important milestone as we continue to increase access to food and nutrition.”

With the addition of Cardenas Markets, Instacart now powers EBT SNAP payments for more than 50 retailers across 39 states and Washington, D.C., spanning more than 7,000 stores nationwide.

On the independent front, Local Express’ new SNAP Payments Integration splits orders into multiple payments to seamlessly include eligible food in the SNAP benefits. The Glendale, Calif.-based solutions provider tested and refined its technology with its first client, Daily Table, a nonprofit grocery chain on a mission to fight food insecurity in the greater Boston area, and now Local Express’ SNAP/EBT payments solution for online pickup and delivery is available to all grocers across the U.S.

“We’re excited and honored to help the customers of SNAP online,” said Bagrat Safaryan, co-founder of Local Express, in a release. “We love collaborating with independent stores to meet the needs of people in their area, and we look forward to seeing how we can deploy this solution all over America. Hopefully, in the years to come, everyone using SNAP and EBT benefits will be able to redeem them online at independent grocers and co-ops.”

Doug Rauch, founder and president of Daily Table, said SNAP redemption at Daily Table stores had doubled since the onset of the pandemic. “This integration democratizes access to food and empowers customers to get the food they need at the prices they deserve,” he said.