Instacart Partners with The Rockefeller Foundation and the VA to Deliver Medically Tailored Groceries to Military Veterans in New York

At Instacart, we believe access to nutritious food can help improve health outcomes, and we’re using our technology and research capabilities to test innovative nutrition programs and measure their impact. 

As part of that work, we’re committed to supporting the military and veteran communities, which face persistently high rates of food insecurity. In fact, one in six military and veteran families (16%) experience food insecurity or hunger, according to research by the Military Families Advisory Network, higher than the national average (12%). 

That’s why we’re proud to announce today a new pilot program and research initiative with The Rockefeller Foundation, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and Syracuse University to better understand the promise and potential of medically tailored groceries for military veterans. 

The 12-month pilot will support rural, homebound, low-income veterans with limited food access in the Syracuse area. Through this initiative, Instacart Health Fresh Funds — our company's category-specific grocery stipend technology — will be deployed to provide a $100 monthly stipend to eligible veterans for 12 months. These stipends will support 250 veterans, allowing them to receive monthly grocery deliveries tailored to their individual health needs. The study will focus on veterans with diabetes or hypertension who live in low-income, low-access areas.

With funding from The Rockefeller Foundation and the New York Health Foundation and powered by Instacart Health technology, this initiative aims to improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs through better nutrition. The program is designed to reduce barriers to food access, improve nutrition adherence, and positively impact clinical health outcomes for veterans living with chronic conditions in rural areas with food insecurity.

Syracuse University will conduct research to evaluate the program’s impact on health, healthcare utilization, costs, and participant satisfaction. Our ultimate goal is to generate data that can help shape future “food as medicine” programs across the VA healthcare system — ensuring more veterans have access to nutritious food they need to support their health and wellbeing.

The Syracuse program was announced at an event on Capitol Hill, co-hosted by U.S. Representatives Vern Buchanan (R-FL) and Chellie Pingree (D-ME) with leaders from The Rockefeller Foundation and the Veterans Health Administration to highlight the need to expand food access and combat diet-related disease among veterans. This pilot is one of several major research initiatives Rockefeller announced today to test the effectiveness of food as medicine programs with veterans, reaching a total of 2,000 veterans across 5 states. 

Building on Instacart’s Commitment to Military Families

This initiative also expands on Instacart’s broader efforts to support food access and nutrition for the military community. Last year, we partnered with the Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN) to launch a food assistance program for military families relocating to U.S. Army Fort Cavazos in Texas.

Through that program, over 100 military families receive $100 in monthly Instacart Health Fresh Funds stipends for three months to purchase nutritious groceries and essentials from local retailers, ensuring a smooth transition to a new base without added financial strain.

Looking Ahead

With Instacart Health, we’re committed to using our technology and reach to make healthy food more accessible for all, including by supporting and scaling new research on the impacts of food as medicine interventions on health outcomes and costs of care for various population groups. Our research includes partnerships with the University of Kentucky, the Ohio State University, Duke University, the University of Pennsylvania. 

We hope that the insights from this latest research initiative supporting veterans in the Syracuse area will help inform the development of cost-effective, scalable nutrition programs to support veterans across the VA health system and beyond.

We’re honored to play a role in this important work—because when veterans and military families have access to the food they need to thrive, we all benefit.