Instacart, North America's leading grocery technology company, announced Instacart Health. The application extension will include the availability of health providers nationwide to enhance collaborative care, promote healthy choices, and deliver nutritious foods to patients and their families.
With consumers becoming more knowledgeable and health-conscious in grocery shopping, the technology company is accommodating the consumer shift through various online and digital methods, including tools such as Care Carts, Fresh Funds, Virtual Storefronts, Shoppable Recipes and Lists.
"We know that access to nutritious foods can deliver healthier outcomes, but several challenges have prevented healthcare providers from effectively adopting food as medicine programs at scale," said Sarah Mastrorocco, Vice President and General Manager of Instacart Health.
Mastrocco stated that the technology company has partnered with proven nutrition programmes to integrate food-as-medicine into standard patient care.
"We're proud to offer these products to help providers expand access to nutritious food and make medically-tailored groceries and meal advice more actionable. Together, we can help patients and their families actively participate in their health through food."
While it is widely accepted that nutrition is vital to health, over 30 million people in the U.S. currently live in food-insecure households. This includes as many as nine million children.
Studies have shown that nearly 46 percent of adults and 56 percent of children in the U.S. have an overall poor-quality diet, and unhealthy diets account for more than USD 50 billion in the nation's healthcare costs.
Instacart is available to more than 95 percent of U.S. households, allowing providers nationwide to use this tool to increase patient access to nutritious foods and incentivise the adoption of healthier habits.
Providers can give patients Fresh Funds, customisable Instacart stipends, to enable patients to directly purchase nutritious foods on Instacart from their provider's curated selection of recommended items or specific ingredients for medically-tailored meal plans.
Care Carts allows providers to send groceries customised based on individual needs from a physician-recommended diet.
In contrast, Fresh Funds allows individuals to select foods that accommodate their tastes and dietary needs and enable them to order directly from Instacart grocery retailers. SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits and traditional funding methods can be used to pay for these groceries.
A virtual Storefront is a tool where providers can educate and inspire their patients to make food and nutritional choices that will positively impact their health. Individuals can use the virtual device to peruse through a provider's shop and read about the specific recommended food. Consumers can again order directly from Instacart-compatible grocers near them.
Shoppable recipes are as the name suggests. Individuals would be able to choose through a variety of healthy recipes, the ingredient which can be instantly added to their Instacart grocery list.
Finally, Lists are where providers can quickly build and share medically-tailored grocery lists with their patients, making a food-as-medicine plan immediately actionable and convenient for the patients in their care.
Instacart is partnered with more than 1,100 national, regional and local retailer banners to offer online shopping, delivery and pickup from more than 80,000 stores in the U.S.
The latest extension for the application will allow the integration of food as medicine programs in the U.S. healthcare system.
