White House Hunger Conference: PHA Teams up with Leading Companies to add 100 Million Servings of Produce to the Marketplace

September 28, 2022

Dole Packaged Foods, Instacart, International Fresh Produce Association, KinderCare Learning Companies, and the National Automatic Merchandising Association commit to increase access to fruits and vegetables

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, at the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), the premier national nonprofit working toward food equity, announced several new corporate partners in its commitment to add 100 million additional servings of vegetables, fruits, and beans to the marketplace by 2025. PHA, which is working with both the White House and the CDC Foundation to engage companies in finding solutions toward long-term food equity across the country, announced new commitments from Dole Packaged Foods, Instacart, International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA), KinderCare Learning Companies (KLC), and the National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA) to make healthy, affordable food available to all consumers across the country.

“Private business provides the vast majority of food consumed in this country so it is absolutely critical that we bring corporate partners in on our mission to build a future where all Americans have access to good and nutritious food,” said Nancy E. Roman, President & CEO of Partnership for a Healthier America. “We are grateful for Dole Packaged Foods, Intacart, IFPA, KinderCare, and NAMA for their commitment to ensuring everyone, in every zip code, has access to good food, and hope to see more of their peers putting food equity at the top of the corporate agenda.”

Details on the pledges from PHA’s partners are below and will be announced alongside the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Heath:

Dole Packaged Foods

Dole Packaged Foods will work with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) to increase access for up to 12 million people to fresh vegetables and fruits and other healthy food through innovative, portable refrigeration units that allow for sale of produce and other healthful foods.

“The Dole® Sunshine for All® Cities GOOD STUFF Kiosk program will provide convenient access to healthy, affordable foods along with easy to prepare recipes helping to deliver better health and culinary dignity to millions of families,” said Barbara Cocks, Director, Dole® Sunshine for All® Cities.

Instacart

Instacart has pledged to bring 10 million servings of produce to nutrition insecure families across the US over the next three years through fundraising campaigns, joint programming, and new technology offerings as part of its Instacart Health initiative launched alongside the Conference.

“We’re proud to join Partnership for a Healthier America in their mission to increase food and nutrition access and equity,” said Fidji Simo, CEO of Instacart. “As a company at the center of people’s relationship with what they eat, Instacart is committed to making sure everyone has access to nutritious food. By marrying our team’s technology expertise and passion with PHA’s programmatic prowess, we believe we can achieve our ambitious goal of providing fresh produce to families who need it most. I’m excited to see how our new Fresh Funds technology will help scale PHA’s Good Food for All program in the coming weeks and over the next year. This type of cross-sector collaboration is key to solving nutrition insecurity, and we’re committed to tackling these issues together.”

International Fresh Produce Association

IFPA will work with the cities of Denver and Indianapolis to develop a framework for doubling consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables by the year 2030. The partnerships will work to establish a produce infrastructure that will reach millions of Americans and serve as a model for increased access to healthy food.

“Increasing consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables is at the core of what the International Fresh Produce Association does in terms of creating a vibrant future for all,” said IFPA CEO Cathy Burns. “We’re excited to partner with PHA on this important effort, learn from the outcomes in Denver and Indianapolis, and explore how they could be scaled for future opportunities and initiatives.”

KinderCare Learning Companies

KinderCare has pledged to double the servings of vegetables to over 40,000 school-aged children through 800 before- and after-school programs hosted by the company’s Champions sites in 300 cities nationwide by 2025. Additionally, KinderCare will leverage its purchasing power and food delivery model to improve the affordability of fruits and vegetables for other early childhood education providers, pilot an innovative food insecurity screening program for KinderCare families and give employees the tools they need to help families have increased access to nutritious foods in their communities, and increase nutrition education provided to families with the goal of reaching more than 100,000 children a minimum of 3 times per year.

“As a leader in early childhood education and care, we at KinderCare have had a longstanding commitment to supporting children’s health and wellness. We believe it’s our responsibility to set the standard for the entire child care industry,” said Tom Wyatt, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at KinderCare Learning Companies. “We’re proud of our continued partnership with PHA and are excited to join the CDC Foundation and the White House in helping school-age children and their families get access to healthy and nutritious foods they need to live well and develop healthy eating habits.”

National Automatic Merchandising Association

NAMA has committed to pilot SNAP eligibility in vending machines and micro-markets. PHA and NAMA will jointly identify vending machines and/or micro-markets in five census tracts whose address (or address of building in nearest proximity) is located in a low-income and low-access census tract. Once identified, PHA will ensure that all of the offerings in the machine or micro-market meet its nutritional standards and NAMA will submit them for SNAP eligibility approval to the qualifying agency.

“The convenience services industry meets the needs of more than 40 million American consumers daily,” said Carla Balakgie, FASAE, CAE, president & CEO of NAMA. “The industry is uniquely positioned to play an important role in addressing the nation’s food insecurity issues. This pilot program would be an essential part of the solution. NAMA continues to work diligently with our members and public health partners to ensure more accessible and diverse food offerings in America’s vending machines and micro markets, including in underserved communities.”

Members of the press interested in covering the partnerships or speaking to an expert at PHA should contact Morgan Hopkins at mhopkins@skdknick.com.

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About Partnership for a Healthier America:

Partnership for a Healthier America is the premier national nonprofit organization working to create lasting, systemic changes that transform the food landscape in pursuit of health equity. PHA develops evidence-based approaches that are implemented in partnership with the private sector, nonprofits, and government, leveraging PHA’s assets and the partner’s knowledge to accelerate the pace of transformation. Learn more at www.ahealthieramerica.org.

About Dole Packaged Foods

Dole Packaged Foods (DPF) launched Sunshine For All ® Cities (SFAC), a multi-faceted pilot program, in Jackson, MS. SFAC’s purpose is to help communities improve access to nutritious food, while providing nutrition education and hands-on cooking and meal planning experience to kids from 7–17 in an effort to break the generational spiral. Learn more at www.dolesunshine.com

About Instacart

Instacart, the leading grocery technology company in North America, works with grocers and retailers to transform how people shop. The company partners with more than 900 national, regional, and local retail brands to facilitate online shopping, delivery and pickup services from more than 75,000 stores across more than 13,000 cities in North America on the Instacart Marketplace. Instacart makes it possible for millions of busy people and families to get the groceries they need from the retailers they love, and for more than 600,000 Instacart shoppers to earn by picking, packing and delivering orders for customers on their own flexible schedule. The Instacart Platform offers retailers a suite of enterprise-grade technology products and services to power their e-commerce experiences, fulfill orders, digitize brick-and-mortar stores, provide advertising services, and glean insights. With Instacart Ads, thousands of CPG brands – from category leaders to emerging brands – partner with the company to connect directly with consumers online, right at the point of purchase. For more information, visit www.instacart.com/company, and to start shopping, visit www.instacart.com.

About International Fresh Produce Association

The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) is the largest and most diverse international association serving the entire fresh produce and floral supply chain and the only to seamlessly integrate world-facing advocacy and industry-facing support. We exist to bring the industry together to create a vibrant future for all. We grow our member’s prosperity by conducting advocacy; connecting people and ideas; and offering guidance that allows us all to take action with purpose and confidence.  While IFPA is built on the legacy of United Fresh and Produce Marketing Association, it is not just a combination. It is transformational. Recognizing the industry required an even more powerful and unified voice, the leaders of the former United Fresh and Produce Marketing Association chose not to merge, but rather to create an entirely new organization to supersede their organizations, effective January 1, 2022. Learn more at www.freshproduce.com

About KinderCare Learning Companies

A leading provider of early childhood and school-age education and care, KinderCare builds confidence for life in children and families from all backgrounds. KinderCare supports hardworking families in 40 states and the District of Columbia with differentiated flexible child care solutions to meet today’s dynamic work environment:

• In neighborhoods, with KinderCare® Learning Centers that offer early learning programs for children six weeks to 12 years old;
• At work, through KinderCare Education at Work™, providing customized family benefits for employers across the country, including employer-supported child care benefits, on-site and near-site early learning centers and back-up care for last-minute child care, and
• In local schools, with Champions® before and after-school programs.

Headquartered in Lake Oswego, Oregon, KinderCare operates more than 2,000 early learning centers and sites. In 2022, KinderCare earned its sixth Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award – one of only four organizations worldwide to achieve this milestone for six consecutive years. To learn more, visit www.KC-Learning.com.

About National Automatic Merchandising Association

Founded in 1936, the National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA) is the association representing the $31 billion US convenience services industry. The convenience services industry consists of service operator companies meeting consumers nutrition and broader needs through vending, micro markets, coffee, tea, water and pantry services. Nearly 1,000 member companies — including many of the world’s most recognized brands. NAMA provides advocacy, education, and research for its membership. Learn more at www.namanow.org