Greater selection for SNAP families now on Instacart 

We believe fresh and nutritious foods should be available to everyone, and we’re dedicated to expanding our marketplace to ensure families can use their SNAP benefits to shop from all of the local grocers they know, love and trust. Just in time for the holidays, we’re proud to announce an expansion that enables online SNAP acceptance at all Kroger, Ralphs, Foods Co, Fry’s, Jay C, Pay Less and Food 4 Less stores on Instacart, helping more families overcome transportation barriers and maximize their food budgets using our platform.¹

Beginning today, SNAP customers in all 16 states where Kroger is available – from Arkansas to West Virginia, Michigan to Georgia and many states in between – can use their SNAP benefits to shop on Instacart for the fresh and nutritious foods they need to sustain their families this holiday season. SNAP recipients in California can now use their benefits to shop from Ralphs and Foods Co, participants in Indiana can use their benefits to shop from Jay C and Pay Less stores, those in Arizona can shop with SNAP online from Fry’s, and beginning this Friday, in California, Illinois and Indiana, families can also use SNAP online to shop from Food 4 Less for same-day delivery via Instacart. With the addition of more than 1,200 Kroger stores, more than 180 Ralphs locations, more than 120 Fry’s stores, 20 Foods Co locations, more than 20 Jay C stores, nearly 10 Pay Less locations and more than 100 Food 4 Less stores, Instacart will offer online SNAP acceptance from more than 130 retail banners and more than 12,000 stores in all 50 states and Washington D.C., reaching nearly 95% of the 42 million people enrolled in SNAP.²

Access to fresh and nutritious foods is critical to health, and through Instacart Health, we’re dedicated to ensuring every family has access to the essentials they need to thrive. We want to give SNAP recipients the ability to choose from a variety of retailers based on what works best for their families, offering greater flexibility, convenience and the dignity of choice. We know affordability is essential, and today we offer anyone who has used an EBT SNAP card to purchase groceries on Instacart a discounted Instacart+ membership at $4.99/month (50% off) for 12 months. With Instacart+, households can access free delivery and pickup on orders over $35, 5% credit back on eligible pickup orders, and reduced service fees on every order.   

We’re focused on building an accessible, affordable and approachable online shopping experience, and by reaching more than 95% of U.S. households, including 93% of people residing in food deserts, we’re offering families added convenience during the busy holiday season. Our mission is to create a world where everyone has access to the foods they need, and together with our retail partners, we’re proud to take another step towards achieving this goal. 

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1.  Anderson Steeves, E., DeWitt, E., Gillespie, R., Trude, A., Gustafson, A., “Barriers and facilitators to online grocery shopping among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Participants: A Mixed Method Study”. Ecology of Food and Nutrition, accepted for publication 2022 https://www.nokidhungry.org/sites/default/files/2022-09/NKH-Instacart-Online-Shopping-Micro-Report-v2.pdf 

2. Based on the number of people in the U.S. enrolled in SNAP (USDA) in 2022. Instacart estimate (as of July 2023) based on the number of EBT SNAP households in areas serviced by EBT SNAP-enabled retailers on Instacart.

Sarah Mastrorocco

Author

Sarah Mastrorocco is Vice President and General Manager of Health for Instacart. A longtime Instacart veteran and leader, Sarah today oversees Instacart Health, designed to support businesses, nonprofits and consumers across three key areas: Nutrition Security, Making Healthier Choices Easier, and Food as Medicine. Sarah has played an integral role at Instacart since joining as the first member of the company’s business development team in 2014. During her tenure at Instacart, she’s taken on various leadership positions across Business Development, Account Management, and Catalog. Prior to this current role, Sarah oversaw and scaled Instacart’s Pickup business.