Instacart, Partnership for a Healthier America celebrates fresh produce milestones

SAN FRANCISCO and WASHINGTON , Aug. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Instacart, North America’s leading food technology company, and Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), the nation’s leading nonprofit working to improve the food landscape in pursuit of health equity, announced today that they have connected families with more than five million servings of fruits and vegetables, marking a major milestone in their ongoing national effort to connect under-resourced communities with 10 million servings of produce by 2025.

The joint commitment by Instacart and PHA was made at the 2022 White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health.

The organizations also announced program impact results in the latest Good Food at Home cities, as well as an expansion that provides Instacart Health Fresh Funds through Good Food at Home to more than 1,000 families in three new cities: Chicago; New Orleans; and Wichita, Kansas.

In late 2023, Instacart and PHA launched Good Food at Home in Denver; Englewood, New Jersey; Milwaukee; and Washington, DC The program provided more than 1,100 families with $60 in monthly Fresh Funds produce credits for three months, as well as an Instacart+ membership with free delivery, allowing participants to buy fresh fruits and vegetables online.

Results from the four cities highlighted the program’s continued success and positive impact on community health, and indicated that Fresh Funds provided through Good Food at Home empowered under-resourced communities, significantly increased fruit and vegetable consumption, and helped families to and develop healthy habits:

• 59% of survey respondents reported eating fruits and vegetables more often;
• 85% said Fresh Funds allowed them to buy more fruit and vegetables than they can usually afford;
• 87% said Fresh Funds helped them build a healthy habit of eating more fruit and vegetables;
• And 86 percent said Fresh Funds empowered them to provide good food for their families by giving them the dignity to choose the items that best fit their unique preferences.

Program participants also reported high satisfaction with their experience using Instacart, and many plan to continue shopping with Instacart:

• 88% liked the convenience of online shopping;
• 87% liked the overall shopping experience on Instacart;
• 80% reported that shopping online with Instacart saved them time;
• Online orders using SNAP benefits increased significantly (73% to 83%) from before and after the program;
• And more than half said they were likely to continue shopping on Instacart because of the benefits the platform offers.

As a result of positive feedback from participants and the impact on food and nutrition security, Instacart and PHA recently expanded the Good Food at Home program to three additional cities across the country, serving more than 550 families in Chicago; 250 families in New Orleans; and 250 families in Wichita, Kansas.

In each city, Instacart and PHA will provide families with $60/month of fresh funds for three months to purchase fresh produce from local merchants available on the Instacart Marketplace. The program will expand to other cities this fall.

“Instacart removes barriers to food access, empowering 98% of households to receive fresh, nutritious food from local merchants they know and love,” said Dani Dudeck, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Instacart. “Through our partnership with PHA on the Good Food at Home program, we have 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 empower families to make more informed and healthier choices that will benefit them well into the future.”

“Too many families in America don’t have access to the fresh, nutritious foods that we know contribute to better health,” said Noreen Springstead, President and CEO of the Partnership for a Healthier America. “Through our partnership with Instacart, not only can we get that nutritious food directly into the hands of the 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 I’m excited to bring Good Food at Home to even more families across the country to fulfill PHA’s mission of Good Food for All.”

“The City of Englewood is honored to be a part of the Good Food at Home program. As someone dedicated to improving hunger and nutrition in my community, I know firsthand the impact a program like this can have,” said Michael Wildes, Mayor of Englewood, New Jersey. “When people have access to nutritious food, it leads to better outcomes not just for them, but for their community as a whole.”

“My administration is committed to fighting hunger, addressing poverty and closing healthy equity gaps for Milwaukee families. Public-private partnerships like the Good Food at Home program are a big part of the solution,” said Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson. “As the Partnership for a Healthier America and Instacart bring this innovative food access program to the city, we’re excited to see their experience help hundreds of families access more fresh produce and develop sustainable healthy habits.”

PHA’s Good Food at Home program is designed to increase access to good food—food that is affordable, sustainable, nutritious, high-quality, and culturally connected—and to help families build healthy habits.

Instacart Health provides the ingredients for a healthier life by leveraging Instacart’s platform, products and partnerships to expand access to nutritious food, make healthy choices easier and expand food-based programs with partners across the country.

Instacart today offers online SNAP acceptance from nearly 180 retail banners in more than 30,000 stores, reaching nearly 98% of US households enrolled in SNAP. As Instacart and PHA expand the Good Food at Home program, they remain committed to working with local organizations to ensure that everyone, regardless of zip code, can access the food they need. Together, they aim to create a healthier and fairer future for all.

About Instacart
Instacart, North America’s leading grocery technology company, works with merchants and retailers to transform the way people shop. The company partners with more than 1,500 national, regional and local retail banners to facilitate online shopping, delivery and pickup services from more than 85,000 North American stores on Instacart Marketplace. Instacart makes it possible for millions of people to get the groceries they need from the retailers they love, and for about 600,000 Instacart shoppers to earn by picking up, packing and delivering orders on their own flexible schedule. The Instacart platform provides retailers with a suite of enterprise-grade technology products and services to power their e-commerce experiences, fulfill orders, digitize brick-and-mortar stores, deliver advertising services and gather 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 provides tools to increase nutrition security, make healthy choices easier for consumers, and expand the role food can play in improving health outcomes. For more information, visit www.instacart.com/company and to start shopping, visit www.instacart.com.

About the Partnership for a Healthier America
The Partnership for a Healthier America is the leading national nonprofit working to create lasting, systemic change that transforms the food landscape in the pursuit of health equity. PHAs develop evidence-based approaches that are implemented in partnership with the private sector, nonprofits, and government, leveraging PHA assets and partner knowledge to accelerate the pace of transformation. Learn more at www.ahealthieramerica.org.