Instacart, DoorDash Partner With White House in Latest ‘Food Is Medicine’ Push

The Biden administration on Friday announced an update to its initiative to reduce diet-related diseases and increase food security. Companies including DoorDash and Instacart are joining the push to get people to eat healthier foods.

Instagram, that launched a new model Dubbed Instacart Health last fall, it digs deeper into the “food is medicine” approach by allowing healthcare providers to set up “virtual food pharmacies” so they can “deliver actionable nutrition advice to their patients through our platform,” the company said in a Friday blog Post Office. One of the main ideas supporting food as medicine is that by adding more nutritious foods to a person’s diet, chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes can be prevented. Providers at Boston Children’s Hospital and at least four other major hospital systems can integrate the new platform. The company’s updates will come within the next six months, according to the White House.

The company is also making it a little easier to find fresh fruits and vegetables on the app. In another blog post Friday, Instacart said it is rolling out a new advertising feature that will allow farms, grower brands, and farming businesses to promote their products (“weighted items”) on Instacart. In practice, this should mean finding fresh fruit and veg a little easier and potentially allowing more people to shop for nutritious groceries.

DoorDash, dubbed one of CNETs best food delivery services, has also been added to the list of White House companies and groups pledging to take steps to increase food security, which includes not only staving off hunger but also providing access to nutritious foods necessary to meet their individual and dietary needs needs are required. In a Friday blog post, DoorDash said that by 2025 it will increase the availability of products on the DoorDash marketplace by collaborating with more grocers and “highlighting” healthy products.

DoorDash said it will also be working with grocery partners to enable people to use EBT as payment and offer access to SNAP/EBT for grocery delivery in all 50 states and Puerto Rico by 2025. Instacart says SNAP participants can take advantage to shop online at more than 10,000 stores in nearly every state.

The White House also announced two proposals for US food regulation, including an attempt to reduce sodium intake by giving food manufacturers more flexibility in using “safe and appropriate salt substitutes in foods such as cheese and canned vegetables” and issuing draft guidance “recommendations.” to food manufacturers on the use of dietary guidelines.

The food label proposal was also announced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and, when enacted, will “provide greater uniformity in labeling and help consumers make informed choices,” the FDA said. Information about nutritional information on food labels acts as “quick signals” to consumers, the FDA said, especially those with less knowledge or access to nutritional information.

Examples of what this would look like on a food label include reminders like “make half your grains whole grains” and “eat green leafy vegetables as part of a nutritious dietary pattern,” according to the agency.

Continue reading: 7 money-saving tips for eating healthy on a budget

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions about a medical condition or health goals.