Instacart and the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) have reached a milestone in their joint effort to improve access to healthy food. The organizations announced that they have delivered 10 million servings of produce to families across the United States through PHA’s Good Food at Home program. Since its launch, more than 17,000 people in 12 cities have received fruits and vegetables directly at home.
The collaboration began in 2022, when Instacart and PHA shifted from providing pre-packaged produce boxes for pickup to delivering groceries with greater flexibility. Using Instacart Health Fresh Funds, participating families receive grocery stipends that can be used to buy fruits and vegetables from any retailer on Instacart’s platform.
The Fresh Funds initiative was first tested in Indianapolis in 2023. For three months, 600 families were given $50 each in Fresh Funds and an Instacart+ membership to purchase their preferred produce for delivery. According to survey results:
– 80% of respondents said they preferred receiving produce credits over produce boxes.
– 78% reported that produce credits allowed them to buy more fruits and vegetables than usual.
– 78% said the credits helped their family build healthy habits.
Following this pilot, the program expanded to other cities including Washington, DC; Englewood, NJ; Denver, CO; Milwaukee, WI; Chicago, IL; New Orleans, LA; and Wichita, KS between 2023 and 2024. The monthly stipend also increased from $50 to $60.
Survey data from these cities showed that at least 78% of participants felt Fresh Funds supported their families in developing healthier eating habits. One participant from Washington D.C., Linda Thompson, described her experience: “My shopping experience was pretty stressful before the Good Food at Home program, to be honest,” she said. “I would go to the local grocery stores in my area, and a lot of them don’t sell fresh produce.”
Thompson noted that using Fresh Funds changed her approach: “It helped me stick to my list, budget… it was a whole different experience,” she shared. “It saved me so much time… I didn’t have to put the gas in my car to go to the three different stores. Then I was able to focus on the things that I really needed in the home.”
To further support participants’ needs, frozen and canned fruits and vegetables became eligible purchases under Fresh Funds starting in 2024. An eight-month version of the program launched this summer in Washington D.C., Detroit, MI, and Sacramento, CA aims to study how ongoing access influences long-term dietary habits.
Instacart has also contributed resources toward other PHA projects such as Veggies Early and Often—focused on increasing vegetable consumption among young children—the Good Food for All Summit for leaders working on food system improvements, Healthy Hunger Relief for food banks distributing higher-quality foods, and Giving Tuesday campaigns alongside companies like Danone and Dole which enabled distribution of an additional 1.5 million servings during holidays.
Dani Dudeck, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Instacart commented: “Sharing food is one of the most powerful ways we care for one another. Through our technology and partnership with PHA, we’ve helped families bring 10 million more servings of produce home and build lasting healthy habits. When we make nutritious food easier to access, we’re helping strengthen families and the communities they’re a part of, creating a ripple effect that reaches far beyond the dinner table.”
