Instacart, the online grocery delivery platform, has launched a new Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility screener on its website for consumers and clinicians.
The screener, available on Instacart’s EBT SNAP information page, lets anyone nationwide quickly and anonymously check whether they may be eligible for SNAP benefits. The tool directs anyone possibly eligible to the relevant state resources to streamline enrollment in SNAP. It is the result of a collaboration with Advocatia Solutions, which helps stakeholders enroll under- or uninsured patients in programs and insurance.
The initiative is part of Instacart Health, which aims to increase access to nutritious food and help improve health outcomes. Its partners like the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) can now also recommend or use the screener in a clinical setting to support patients identified as nutrition insecure.
Community health centers serve 32.5 million people. More than 775,000 health center patients screened in 2023 reported food insecurity, NACHC president and CEO Kyu Rhee, M.D., said in a press release. But access to nutritious food should be a given regardless of geographic or socioeconomic barriers, he added.
“We believe it is essential to advance innovative technology solutions or ‘TechQuity’ for the people we serve. Instacart’s new SNAP eligibility tool will further advance ‘TechQuity’ by helping health center clinicians and patients connect to actionable state resources to combat food insecurity,” Rhee said.
One in eight households struggle with food insecurity. Yet to date, there has not been a simple solution for checking SNAP eligibility nationwide, executives said. The goal is to simplify “access to information that could really be life-changing,” VP and general manager of Instacart Health Sarah Mastrorocco told Fierce Healthcare. “We want everyone to have access to this.”
Once a user signs up for SNAP benefits and wants to use the Instacart platform, they have the option to add their SNAP card to their account. The platform labels grocers and food items as SNAP-eligible for transparency. To date, millions of Americans have used their SNAP benefits to shop for food through Instacart, the company claims. More than 30,000 stores accept SNAP on the platform.
One study conducted by the University of Kentucky, with support from Instacart, found providing tailored support for online shopping led to shoppers across the board buying more fruits and vegetables than in-store shoppers without increasing their total spend. That included SNAP and non-SNAP participants. Examples of practical support include setting up meal planning suggestions or tips for shopping.
Earlier this week, Instacart announced it was teaming up with Molina Healthcare to provide 600 pregnant plan members with Instacart+ memberships and grocery stipends, with the goal of reducing birth outcome disparities. The members were pre-selected based on having specific social needs. The membership will be 18 months long and the stipends will be $100 monthly for the first nine months of the program. Members can combine their stipends with SNAP benefits and personal funds.
Instacart first launched online SNAP acceptance in 2020. It expanded this to all 50 states and Washington, D.C., in 2023 and says it reaches nearly 98% of households enrolled in the program. Instacart also offers SNAP recipients a discounted Instacart+ membership, half off, with $0 delivery fees on all orders over $35. The platform also has built-in app features like personalized weekly flyers with the aim of helping customers save money.