Instacart & Partnership for a Healthier America Expand Access to Fresh Produce with Major Milestone
- foodfightadmin
- August 12, 2024
- Find Food, Hunger In America
- ffp-3, fnds
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Instacart and Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) announced a significant achievement in their joint effort to increase access to fresh produce for under-resourced communities across the United States. As of Wednesday, the collaboration has successfully connected families with over 5 million servings of fruits and vegetables. This marks a major milestone in their national goal to deliver 10 million servings of fresh produce by 2025, a commitment originally made during the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in 2022.
In addition to reaching this key benchmark, Instacart and PHA unveiled plans to expand their Good Food at Home program to new cities. Families in Chicago, New Orleans, and Wichita, Kansas, will now have access to Instacart Health Fresh Funds, which provides financial support for purchasing fresh produce. More than 1,000 families in these cities will receive $60 per month in Fresh Funds credits for three months, allowing them to buy fruits and vegetables from local grocers on Instacart. This expansion builds on the initial success of Good Food at Home, which launched in late 2023 in cities like Denver, Englewood, New Jersey, Milwaukee, and Washington, D.C.
The results from these cities have been overwhelmingly positive. The program provided more than 1,100 families with monthly produce credits and free delivery through Instacart+ memberships, helping families afford and access healthy food online. Surveys from participants revealed impressive outcomes, including 59% reporting an increase in their fruit and vegetable consumption, and 85% saying that Fresh Funds allowed them to purchase more produce than they normally could afford. Moreover, 87% of participants said Fresh Funds helped them build sustainable healthy eating habits, and 86% felt empowered to provide nutritious meals for their families.
Participants also expressed high satisfaction with the Instacart platform. A total of 88% of respondents enjoyed the convenience of online grocery shopping, and 80% said using Instacart saved them time. Importantly, the program also led to an increase in the use of SNAP benefits for online grocery orders, rising from 73% to 83%. More than half of the participants indicated they are likely to continue using Instacart due to its benefits.
As a result of this success, Instacart and PHA are expanding Good Food at Home to serve an additional 550 families in Chicago, 250 in New Orleans, and 250 in Wichita. These families will receive the same $60 monthly Fresh Funds credits for three months to purchase fresh produce from local grocers. Instacart and PHA plan to bring the program to more cities later this year.
Dani Dudeck, chief corporate affairs officer at Instacart, emphasized the company’s mission to break down barriers to food access, stating, “Instacart is breaking down barriers to food access by empowering 98% of households to get fresh and nutritious food delivered from the local grocers they know and love. Through our partnership with PHA on the Good Food at Home program, we’ve seen the clear and lasting impact of Instacart Health Fresh Funds on improving food security and encouraging healthy eating habits. By expanding to more cities this year, we’re not just transforming access; we’re empowering families to make more informed, healthier choices that will benefit them well into the future.”
Noreen Springstead, president and CEO of PHA, echoed these sentiments, saying, “Too many families in America don’t have access to the fresh, nutritious foods that we know contribute to better health. Through our partnership with Instacart, not only are we able to get that nutritious food directly into the hands of families who need it most, but we’ve also proven that we’re empowering healthier habits over the long term. I’m extremely proud of the impact we’ve been able to achieve so far, and excited to bring Good Food at Home to even more families across the country to achieve PHA’s mission of Good Food for All.”
Local leaders in cities that have benefited from the Good Food at Home program also praised the initiative. Michael Wildes, mayor of Englewood, New Jersey, highlighted the positive impact on his community, stating, “When people have access to nutritious food, it leads to better outcomes not just for them but for their community as a whole.” Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson also expressed support, noting, “Public-private partnerships like the Good Food at Home program are a big part of the solution. As Partnership for a Healthier America and Instacart bring this innovative food access program to the city, we are pleased to see their experience has helped hundreds of families access more fresh produce and build sustainable healthy habits.”
The Good Food at Home program is designed to provide access to “good food”—affordable, nutritious, high-quality, and culturally connected produce that helps families build healthier eating habits. Through Instacart Health, the platform leverages Instacart’s extensive reach, offering online SNAP acceptance from more than 180 retail banners across 30,000 stores, which serves 98% of U.S. households enrolled in SNAP.
With the ongoing expansion of Good Food at Home, Instacart and PHA remain committed to working with local organizations to ensure all families, regardless of location or income, can access the fresh, healthy food they need. Together, they are building a more equitable future and helping to transform the way Americans access and consume fresh produce.