Starting September 22, beneficiaries of Puerto Rico's Nutritional Assistance Program (PAN) can no longer place online orders for home delivery using their PAN card. Only one supermarket chain, Econo, offered this service. The Department of the Family and the Family Socioeconomic Development Administration (Adsef) ordered a halt because there is no federal authorization permitting it.
Family Secretary Suzanne Roig Fuertes told Primera Hora, "We cannot allow any provider to do it, because that could put PAN funds for Puerto Rico at risk." Primera Hora sought comment from Econo through press representative Carlos Rivera Cuesta but had not received a response; Econo notified customers by email that the service would end, without explanation. Roig Fuertes said the order came amid an investigation into whether Econo charged PAN cardholders for the delivery service, involving the federal Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, technology provider Evertec, and the Department of the Family.
She said the directive applies to all PAN-authorized supermarkets and providers, and that since last year the department has been seeking FNA authorization to allow digital-app food purchases paid partly via PAN card, having previously warned Econo to stop the practice.