Forage's payments API will deliver SNAP EBT support to the Uber Eats app.
As I’ve written numerous times, most recently in a story featuring DutchX co-founder Marcus Hoed posted earlier this week, the fact modern technology has precipitated the rise of on-demand services such as medication delivery with Amazon Pharmacy or food delivery with DoorDash transcends sheer convenience. Everyone, disabled people included, likes things to be convenient. But while many shortsightedly lament the advent of such services as not merely convenient but catering to humankind’s laziest impulses, the reality is an Amazon Prime or DoorDash can be, and very much is, a lifeline to legions of people in the disability community. Indeed, as DutchX’s Hoed told me about his company’s new at-home returns feature, not everyone has the capability to lug an unwanted good back to the post office or other designated drop-off location to be rid of it. That a person can schedule a time for someone to come pick up the return for them is worth its weight in gold. Likewise, many disabled people have health and/or logistical barriers preventing them from shopping and preparing meals for themselves. Thus, DoorDash very well may be the most reliable way they can sustain their existence on a daily basis. These considerations are not trivial, and they yet again go to show that something as basic as a stable internet connection can be an assistive technology unto itself for so many.
Ofek Lavian and his team at Forage are sympathetic to those realities.
Forage is a San Francisco-based payments company that, according to its website, is dedicated to “[helping] merchants accept EBT SNAP payments through a single, unified API.” SNAP EBT, more colloquially known as food stamps, is a program which assists people with little-to-no income buy groceries. The startup on Friday published a press release wherein it announced a partnership with Uber Eats to be the payment processor for SNAP EBT when the feature launches later this year. Forage notes this announcement follows one made earlier this year that they enabled “the nation’s first online-only retailer to accept SNAP EBT.”
“We’re incredibly excited to partner with Uber Eats to bring online purchasing and delivery to more SNAP recipients,” Lavian, Forage’s founder and chief executive officer, said in a statement today. “We know that accepting SNAP benefits online is incredibly important for millions of Americans and are extremely proud that through our partnership, Uber will be able to unlock EBT acceptance for all retailers on their platform and help more Americans put food on their table.”
In an interview with me ahead of the announcement, Lavian, who described himself as a “proud” Uber alum and who previously led payments at Instacart and helped build their SNAP EBT support, explained Forage’s commitment to the SNAP EBT cause is deeply personal to him. He grew up in a lower income family with Israeli immigrants, and staunchly believes everyone has the right to access food by whatever means is necessary for them without shame or reprisal.
Lavian pointed to statistics on the Forage website stating that 42 million Americans, or 1 in 8 people, utilize SNAP EBT to get groceries. Moreover, he echoed the sentiment made by DutchX’s Hoed that many SNAP EBT recipients are disabled people whose condition(s) may hinder them in attaining food because the nearest grocery store is farther away. Being able to use, in this case, the Uber Eats app, to get food is mutually beneficial. It obviously benefits the user, but so too does it benefit Uber Eats and Forage. Lavian called the chance to be the exclusive delivery network for SNAP EBT on Uber Eats “a dream come true for us.”
Expounding on the notion that not everyone can physically shop for groceries, Lavian praised Uber for “connecting the physical and digital worlds in incredible ways” in terms of accessibility. He added Uber already delivers “hundreds” of meals per year to disadvantaged communities nationwide, saying it’s significant to be able to combine both Forage’s innovative technology with Uber’s expansive delivery network. Whether a rural or urban neighborhood, Lavian said Uber Eats delivers to every zip code in America, and it’s inspiring to see it in action.
“They’re [Uber] a very thoughtful team. They’re a very thorough team,” he said. “There’s some brilliant, exceptionally talented people there who are world-class and take this stuff seriously. What we’ve heard over and over again from their team is that this is really core to their mission, and we’re excited to be partnering with them on this historic partnership.”
Lavian’s comments were backed up by Uber in today’s announcement.
“At Uber, we believe healthy foods should be accessible to all,” Karl Hebert, Uber’s vice president of payments, risk, and identity, said in a statement for the press release. “We are excited to partner with Forage to provide our customers the same seamless payments experience they’ve become accustomed to on Uber when using their SNAP benefits.”
When asked about feedback on the partnership, Lavian said he’s done his own research on Twitter. He said a quick search of “Uber EBT” will yield lots of results of people asking when Uber will accept SNAP EBT, which he added is a testament to Uber’s ubiquity as a brand and as an app on people’s phones. Lavian reiterated the significance of the collaboration between Uber and Forage, telling me it’s a huge step in Forage’s mission towards “making [accessing] healthy food a reality for every family, regardless of income.” He went on to say the Forage team hears a lot from SNAP EBT recipients who emphasize that low income doesn’t mean zero income. Many of these folks, Lavian said, are honest, hardworking individuals juggling multiple jobs including driving for Uber. Every hour they spend working is time spent not getting groceries for their family. Thus, being able to have everyday essentials delivered straight to one’s doorstep is a “lifesaver,” according to Lavian. It’s all made possible by the marvel known as modern-day technology.
“I’m really proud of the work we’re doing,” Lavian said of the importance of his work. “We’re lucky to be in this moment… to live in the most prosperous civilization in the history of humanity. I hope that with our technology, we can help take a real step towards combating food insecurity. It’s unthinkable the fact that 1 in 8 Americans are food insecure today. I hope with Uber and Forage, we can make meaningful steps towards addressing that for the people who need it most.”
The news of Forage and Uber’s SNAP EBT support comes a few months after online grocer Thrive Market announced it would begin accepting SNAP EBT. Thrive Market chief executive Nick Green told me all about it in an interview published for this column back in late February.
