How Instacart is leading the fight against hunger and delivering impact 

We recognize the vital connection between nutrition, health and well-being, and believe everyone should have access to nutritious food. We’re using our platform to connect millions of families with the essentials they need to thrive, and this Hunger Action Month, we’re sharing a few updates on our continued commitment. 

According to the newly released U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Household Food Security report, more than 47 million people in the U.S. faced food insecurity in 2023, affecting more than 13 million children. A core pillar of our Instacart Health initiative is to close the nutrition gap by helping ensure that everyone, regardless of their circumstances or zip code, can get the nutritious food they need to live well.

Today we reach over 98% of U.S. households, including 93% of those located in low-income, low-access areas commonly known as food deserts. We can connect the vast majority of the U.S. with nutritious food. Since launching our Health initiative, we’ve used our technology to offer greater dignity of choice to SNAP families in all 50 states and Washington, D.C; launched innovative partnerships with local governments like Montgomery County, Maryland and the City of Columbia, South Carolina; and introduced nutrition security program with leading nonprofits like the American Cancer Society, Feeding America®, Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) and Wellness West.

Through Instacart Health, organizations of all sizes are leveraging the power and reach of our marketplace to support the nutrition, health and well-being of families across the country. 

Expanding SNAP acceptance & policy advocacy 

Nutritious food needs to be both accessible and affordable so everyone can get what they need to live well. This summer, we’ve rapidly expanded EBT SNAP acceptance across our marketplace, more than doubling the available store footprint on our platform. Today we offer online SNAP acceptance from 30,000 stores across nearly 180 local, regional and national retailers, making Instacart’s SNAP selection the best online anywhere, connecting nearly 98% of households enrolled in SNAP with fresh and nutritious groceries across the country. This pioneering work empowers SNAP families to choose where they shop online with their benefits and which grocery items to purchase based on their unique tastes, budget, dietary and health needs, and cultural preferences, with the added convenience of same-day delivery. As we’ve continued to expand SNAP online acceptance with grocers nationwide, we’ve seen that approximately 1 in 6 SNAP orders have been made by consumers living in food deserts.

We’re building technology that ensures almost anyone can shop online, using any food benefits they have, with access to the convenience of same-day delivery from retailers they know, love and trust. Through the Instacart Health Wallet, families can pay on Instacart using multiple unique benefits – from EBT SNAP to supplemental health benefits offered through Medicare, Medicaid and commercial health plans, to Fresh Funds and more – helping people overcome time and transportation barriers, and extend their budgets using Instacart.

We’re also continuing our unwavering support for public policy that helps alleviate hunger across the country. We’re proud to have supported USDA’s new Summer EBT program that provides eligible families with children access to additional SNAP funds through the summer. We partnered with national and local advocacy leaders and nonprofits to advocate for the Summer EBT program, encourage states to opt in and spread awareness of the program. We applaud the bipartisan lawmakers who have made this program permanent for millions of families, and are proud to have been a part of this national effort.

Supporting local food banks 

Our Community Carts initiative, which brings food drives online, is always available so that at any time, any consumer can use our platform to donate groceries to more than 100 local Feeding America partner food banks nationwide. With Community Carts, people can easily see the items each food bank needs most, making it simple for them to quickly shop for the goods their local food bank needs most. Instacart shoppers deliver these items directly to the food bank, offering a quick way to support families in our communities facing food insecurity. 

Earlier this summer, we also announced a program that supports Feeding America partner food banks in disaster prone areas so families can still access the nutritious food they need as they rebuild and recover. Using Instacart Health Care Carts, anyone – an organization, family member or caregiver – can order and send groceries on someone else’s behalf. Through the program, we’re working with Feeding America partner food banks across nine states so they can use Care Carts to deliver food and essentials quickly to people unable to reach a food distribution location after a natural disaster. 

Increasing access & inspiring healthy choices 

As part of our commitment to the White House Challenge to End Hunger & Build Healthy Communities, we worked with the No Kid Hungry campaign and Mercy Housing on the Nutrition in Housing (NIH) program. The program offered families in affordable housing communities located in food deserts Instacart Health Fresh Funds as well as an Instacart+ membership to get nutritious foods delivered. Results from those who participated in a survey showed that access to Instacart and Fresh Funds helped improve nutrition security for food desert residents:

• 52% reported that their families ate more fruits and vegetables; 
• 60% reported feeling less stressed; 
• And 57% reported they spent less on transportation.

We also recently shared an important milestone in our work with PHA. Together, we’ve connected under-resourced communities with over 5 million servings of fresh fruits and vegetables, making significant progress toward our joint commitment to connect families with 10 million servings by 2025 as part of the White House National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. We reached this milestone, in part, through PHA’s Good Food at Home program. Like the NIH program, Good Food at Home offers families Fresh Funds and an Instacart+ membership; in this case to access fresh fruits and vegetables from local grocers. Results from the the last four Good Food at Home cities showed that the program significantly increased fruit and vegetable consumption and helped families build sustained healthy habits: 

• 59% reported that they ate fruits and vegetables more often;
• 85% said Fresh Funds allowed them to buy more produce than they can usually afford; 
• And 87% said Fresh Funds helped them build a healthy habit. 

Bridging the gap through public-private partnership

We work with elected leaders from across the country, and we believe that public-private partnerships are critical to the fight against hunger. Government leaders deeply understand the unique food insecurity challenges facing their communities, and they’re embracing innovative approaches with Instacart to help more people overcome barriers to access. We’re proud to use Instacart Health tools to support this groundbreaking work. 

Last year, we launched the Grocery Access Pilot (GAP) program with Mayor Daniel Rickenmann and the City of Columbia, South Carolina in support of the White House Challenge to End Hunger & Build Healthy Communities. Residents in the city’s food deserts are provided an Instacart+ membership and a monthly Fresh Funds stipend to help cover the cost of online grocery delivery. The GAP program was our first government partnership, designed to help ensure residents in underserved areas of Columbia have consistent access to the nutritious foods and essentials they need. 

Just last week, we also announced that we’ve partnered with Montgomery County, Maryland to launch the MC Groceries program. The county has committed up to $1.8M in public funding to offer online grocery to more than 600 families – with collectively more than 1,000 children – to help fight childhood hunger in the community. Designed to support families who do not qualify for federal assistance, but also do not earn enough to consistently afford nutritious food, the program uses Fresh Funds and a MC Groceries Virtual Storefront on Instacart to offer both financial support and nutritional guidance. 

We’re dedicated to using our platform and Instacart Health technology to connect every community with the food they need, and invite you to join us in support of this important mission. We need everyone at the table, and together, we can make a meaningful difference in the nationwide fight against hunger.