SAN FRANCISCO — Instacart, the leading grocery technology company in North America, and Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), the nation’s leading nonprofit working to improve the food landscape in pursuit of health equity, today released impact results from their first Good Food for All partnership in Indianapolis, proving the efficacy of produce stipends to address food insecurity. The companies also announced an expansion of PHA’s Good Food for All program to provide Instacart Health Fresh Funds to more than 1,100 families in four new cities: Denver, Colorado; Englewood, New Jersey; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Washington D.C., advancing Instacart and PHA’s joint 2022 commitment to deliver 10 million servings of fruits and vegetables to underserved communities by 2025.
Launched in February, the Indianapolis Good Food for All program tested the feasibility of a produce credit model. In the first phase, families received pre-packaged boxes with approximately 50 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables weekly for 10 weeks. During the second phase, families were given $50 in produce credits per month – redeemable through either a brick-and-mortar store credit or online through Fresh Funds – for three months.
Results from the Indianapolis program showed that produce credits supported significant improvements in food security for families, including control around the healthfulness of the food they purchased and flexibility to support their unique food preferences. The program also found:
- 80% of respondents preferred produce credits over produce boxes;
- 79% of those that received produce credits reported they planned to continue to eat more fruits and vegetables;
- 78% said produce credits allowed them to purchase more fruits and vegetables than they could usually afford;
- And 78% said produce credits helped their family build a healthy habit.
Instacart participants had significantly higher satisfaction scores than those who received brick-and-mortar store credit, with many noting they favored the selection and choice available on the Instacart marketplace. Families that received Fresh Funds were also more than 10 times more likely to use all of their funds during the duration of the program.1
“Everyone should have access to nutritious food, and technology can break down barriers that have historically prevented too many communities from getting the nourishment they need. This belief is central to our Instacart Health initiative and company mission, and we’re proud that more than 95% of U.S. households – including 93% of people living in food deserts – have access to fresh produce via Instacart,” said Dani Dudeck, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Instacart. “Through our partnership with PHA, we’re transforming food access and empowering families to get fresh produce delivered from the local grocers they know and love. Our Indianapolis program proved that produce stipends – delivered through Instacart Health Fresh Funds – can lead to sustained healthy eating habits and improved food security. We’re excited to expand the program to reach more families in more communities across the country.”
“PHA launched its Good Food for All program because we believe that everyone – no matter their zip code – deserves healthy food, yet far too many families across the country are lacking access to it,” said Noreen Springstead, President & CEO of Partnership for a Healthier America. “Our work with Instacart and the city of Indianapolis is just the first step in making good food accessible and affordable for all, and we’re eager to continue this great work in Denver, Englewood, Milwaukee and D.C. this year.”
“When it comes to improving food equity, it’s not just about providing people access to healthy food in the short term, but creating lasting, sustainable healthy eating habits,” said Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett. “That’s why this partnership with PHA and Instacart is so promising; we’re having a real, long-term impact on people’s health and overall quality of life.”
Following the success of the Indianapolis program, Instacart and PHA will scale Good Food for All providing Fresh Funds in four additional cities in regions across the country this year: 200 families in Denver, Colorado; 200 families in Englewood, New Jersey; 225 families in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and 500 families in Washington D.C. In each city, Instacart and PHA will give families $60/month of Fresh Funds to purchase produce from local grocers available on the Instacart marketplace.
PHA’s Good Food for All program, which aims to create equitable access to healthy and sustainable food, provides fresh produce to families that face access barriers to affordable, healthy and sustainable food. Instacart Health was designed to deliver the ingredients for healthier living, leveraging Instacart’s platform, products and partnerships to expand access to nutritious food, make healthy choices easier for consumers, and scale food as medicine programs across the country. Instacart today offers online SNAP acceptance from 120+ retail banners across 10,000+ stores, reaching nearly 95% of U.S. households enrolled in SNAP.2
About Instacart
Instacart, the leading grocery technology company in North America, works with grocers and retailers to transform how people shop. The company partners with more than 1,400 national, regional, and local retail banners to facilitate online shopping, delivery and pickup services from more than 80,000 stores across North America on the Instacart Marketplace. Instacart makes it possible for millions of people to get the groceries they need from the retailers they love, and for approximately 600,000 Instacart shoppers to earn by picking, packing and delivering orders on their own flexible schedule. The Instacart Platform offers retailers a suite of enterprise-grade technology products and services to power their e-commerce experiences, fulfill orders, digitize brick-and-mortar stores, provide advertising services, and glean insights. With Instacart Ads, thousands of CPG brands – from category leaders to emerging brands – partner with the company to connect directly with consumers online, right at the point of purchase. With Instacart Health, the company is providing tools to increase nutrition security, make healthy choices easier for consumers, and expand the role that food can play in improving health outcomes. For more information, visit www.instacart.com/company, and to start shopping, visit www.instacart.com.
About Partnership for a Healthier America
Partnership for a Healthier America is the premier national nonprofit organization working to create lasting, systemic changes that transform the food landscape in pursuit of health equity. PHA develops evidence-based approaches that are implemented in partnership with the private sector, nonprofits, and government, leveraging PHA’s assets and the partner’s knowledge to accelerate the pace of transformation. Learn more at www.ahealthieramerica.org.
1 Good Food for All in Indianapolis – Research Conducted by Altarum about the Effectiveness of Produce Incentives. August, 2023. https://www.ahealthieramerica.org/indyresearch
2 Instacart estimate as of July 2023 based on the number of EBT SNAP participants in areas serviced by EBT SNAP-enabled retailers. Number of EBT SNAP participants based on USDA data.
