Expanding Access to Good Food

Credit: Kirgiss Creative Co.

Right now, one in six Americans face a situation where healthy food is either too expensive, too far away, or both. Yet, the connection between healthy eating and overall health is undeniable. One in two Americans suffers from chronic illnesses that are largely linked to poor diets, including diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer.

At Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), we believe that as a society we need to shift our mindset from emergency relief to food action and recognize that people facing hunger deserve more than calories – they need long-lasting access to healthy food instead.

In honor of National Nutrition Month, we’re excited to celebrate our Good Food for All program which provides boxes of fresh produce to families all across the nation facing access barriers with the vision that intentional short-term intervention could inform long-term healthy eating habits and transform food access.

Over the last two years, Good Food for All has been to 29 cities, providing more than 22 million servings of vegetables and fruits to families across the US.

Not only is Good Food for All providing healthy food to participants in the short-term, it’s creating a long-lasting impact. Following participation in the program, 58% of participants increased vegetable consumption, 51% increased fruit consumption, and over 85% said they were willing to pay for a box of produce.

In an effort to continue increasing vegetable and fruit consumption nationwide, we’re partnering with the City of Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Community Food Access Coalition, and Instacart to provide families living in under-resourced communities with the opportunity to purchase fresh produce from grocery stores that were once completely out of reach for them.

The program provides 640 families with 10 weeks of free produce boxes followed by a complimentary Instacart+ membership and $50/month for 3 consecutive months of Fresh Funds stipends to purchase produce through Instacart.

This Fresh Funds partnership in Indianapolis is just the beginning. Instacart and PHA plan to expand this work to cities across the country in 2023 and beyond, ensuring that accessible, affordable, and nutritious food is the standard for families all across the country — not the exception.