WASHINGTON – The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced today the request from Arkansas and Hawaii to provide online purchasing of food to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has been approved.

The approval will allow Arkansas and Hawaii to expedite the implementation of online purchasing with currently authorized SNAP online retailers with a target start date to be announced at a later time.

Arkansas’ SNAP participation is more than 354,000 individuals, more than 159,000 households, and totals $460 million annually in federal benefits.

Hawaii’s SNAP is more than 144,000 individuals, more than 74,000 households, and it totals to $488 million annually in federal benefits.