Delaware picked for White House ‘Smart Shopper’ pilot program to help reduce hunger

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This story was supported by a statehouse coverage grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Delaware will be the first state in the nation to test out the new “SNAP Smart Shopper” app, which officials hope will reduce food waste and hunger.

Part of the White House Challenge to End Hunger and Build Healthy Communities, the new mobile app will allow those enrolled in SNAP to download digital coupons on their phones and buy food that would have otherwise gone to waste.

Data from the nonprofit Feeding America shows more than 120,000 Delawareans were food insecure in 2022, including more than 37,000 children. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said 12.8% of all households nationwide were food insecure in 2022.

The program also targets efficiency at U.S. grocery stores by attempting to tackle a $250 billion dollar food waste problem. Pilot program participants will also get nutrition information, dietary recommendations and recipes.

Deputy Health and Social Services Secretary Daniel Walker said his family used food stamps, known today as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), to make ends meet. He said that, as a child, he would watch his mom at the grocery store agonizing over whether to buy bread or eggs so she could feed her five children.

“Today we announce our push to bring hope to over 60,000 SNAP households so little boys have a better experience than I did,” he said in Wilmington Thursday. “So that SNAP recipients can have their money go just a little further and that they no longer have to make the difficult decisions on what to bring home from the grocery stores.”

Known as the Smart Food Program, the concept is a public-private partnership between Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long, state agriculture and health and social services agencies, federal officials and r4 Technologies, a new artificial intelligence company created by the founders of Priceline, an online travel business.

“Every person deserves access to healthy, nutritious food,” Hall-Long said. “It’s not only beneficial for families, ensuring food equity is beneficial to the economy and our environment.”

Paul Breitenbach is CEO of r4 Technologies, which created the app. He said they can match food with buyers through artificial intelligence. He said it’s like how Priceline can find spare hotel rooms or airplane seats and offer them to buyers at a reduced cost.

“The system will understand excess capacity right from when the chicken is born or right from when the grain is harvested,” he said. “So this is not just about stuff that is about to expire. This is a systemic process all the way through.”

The program was awarded $1.5 million in pandemic funding. Hawaii is expected to be the second state to start the pilot, with a goal to expand nationwide.