After garnering a lot of success in Indianapolis, a fresh food program is expanding its produce credit model. Instacart and Partnership for a Healthier America created the Good Food for All Program in 2020 to help families struggling with food insecurity. The program initially provided 50 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables to participating families for several weeks. In the beginning phases of the Indianapolis program, families still received these pre-packaged boxes. However, Indianapolis families participated in an additional second phase of the program, where they were given $50 per month in “produce credits” for three months. These could be redeemed online on Instacart’s website or in select grocery stores.
Results from the Indianapolis program reported 80 percent of participants preferred these produce credits over produce boxes. Additionally, more than 70 percent of participants receiving produce credits said they would continue to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and these credits had helped their families build healthier habits.
Due to this success, the produce credit portion of this program will now be expanded to more than 1,000 families in Denver, Milwaukee, Washington, D.C. and Englewood, New Jersey.
Source: indianapublicmedia.org