Food Stamps: Discriminated Against for Using SNAP Benefits? How To Report Offending Retailers
Written by
Josephine Nesbit
Edited by
Nicholas Morine
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D.C.’s Office of the Attorney General (OAG) issued a warning to retailers not to discriminate against residents who use SNAP EBT cards to purchase food.
Recently, the OAG received several complaints from residents who could not purchase food using their SNAP benefits at their local store. According to Emily Barth, an assistant attorney general in the office of consumer protection, SNAP participants reported a retailer for requiring a minimum balance on their EBT card before making a purchase and setting a minimum transaction amount, DCist reported.
Barth expects the complaints represent a large issue as many people may not know that a retailer, such as a grocery store or convenience store, is breaking the law or how to report the incident.
Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb issued a consumer alert and business advisory on Nov. 30, notifying residents of their rights when making SNAP purchases and helping businesses comply with SNAP requirements. The OAG also sent the complaints to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which governs SNAP, Barth said, and federal officials told the retailers to come into compliance.
“With residents probably engaging in more holiday shopping, preparing to host family or friends, doing holiday meals, we want to do this push now to make sure that customers, SNAP shoppers, know what rights that they have and also that retailers are aware of the requirements of the program,” Barth told DCist.
According to the alert, SNAP retailers cannot:
- Charge a transaction fee to anyone paying with a SNAP EBT card.
- Set a minimum transaction amount for qualified SNAP purchases.
- Require a minimum SNAP balance to make a purchase.
- Require SNAP users to check their balance before making a purchase.
You can report complaints to the OAG by calling the Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-202- 442-9828, emailing consumer.protection@dc.gov or submitting a complaint online. To locate the SNAP retailer, use the USDA’s SNAP Retailer Locator.
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