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Digital technology at food pantries helpful for many, study says

A study by researchers from the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute and the West Side Campaign Against Hunger evaluates the feasibility and acceptability of a "Digital Choice" model at an urban food pantry in New York City.

For the , now published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, the researchers conducted focus groups with 30 customers, surveyed 326 customers, and interviewed eight staff members about a program that allows customers to pre-order one of four food box options via text messaging for pickup at community sites.

Results showed high customer satisfaction with the Digital Choice program (96% rated it positively), and staff found it feasible to implement at the current scale. The most important feature to customers was the ability to choose food types (81% rated extremely/very important), followed by quick pickup (77%) and simple processes (75%).

While successful for many participants, technology access presented a barrier for some, with 40% of surveyed customers indicating challenges with technology.

"Incorporating digital technology to facilitate customer choice and partnering with community sites is feasible and acceptable for many, but not all, food pantry customers," says Associate Professor Nevin Cohen, the study's senior author. "Food pantries could benefit from offering multiple service models to accommodate diverse preferences and needs."

"Food pantries have used technology to manage an array of functions, such as communications, supply/inventory, and staffing," says Ph.D. student Yvette Ng, research fellow at the institute and first author on the study. "This study shows that food pantry staff could incorporate digital ordering and other technology into the customer ordering process relatively seamlessly."

"As the food system becomes increasingly digital, with online grocery shopping and app-based services, food access programs can also leverage technology to enhance the customer experience," says Katherine Tomaino Fraser, the institute's director of evaluation and co-author on the study. "Digital tools like pre-ordering can streamline access, improve choice, and make food assistance more dignified and efficient for those who need it."