Dive Brief:
- Payment company Fresh Connect announced Thursday the launch of four specialized grocery cards that pair with a new app to support food-as-medicine purchases.
- Fresh Connect cardholders can now purchase from a wider selection of healthy grocery items, with each of the four cards having a distinct approved product list defined by nutrition criteria.
- This effort comes as shoppers look to prioritize health and wellness amid SNAP restrictions and food accessibility challenges.
Dive Insight:
This latest development from Fresh Connect expands its program, which provides members of healthcare plans and other entities with prepaid debit cards, from a single produce card to a system that supports a wider range of nutrition programs, according to the press release.
Healthcare partners determine eligibility for accessing a Fresh Connect card, according to the payment company’s website.
Fresh Connect’s four distinct carts are named Produce, Produce+, Grocery and Grocery Rx. Produce covers fresh produce exclusively, while Produce+ extends to fresh and frozen produce products without additives. The Grocery card provides access across “most grocery categories that meet recommended nutrition standards,” per the announcement. Grocery Rx is designed for individuals at risk of or living with diet-related diseases and covers products from a “medically tailored” list that aligns with “stricter nutrition standards,” Fresh Connect said.
The individual cards’ corresponding approved product lists were developed in collaboration with registered dietitians, nutrition scientists, healthcare partners and community-based organizations. Fresh Connect said this expertise ensures “eligible items align with evidence-based nutrition guidelines and reflect the real-world needs of the populations these programs serve.”
Fresh Connect CEO Josh Trautwein noted this expansion brings Fresh Connect “into the full grocery store.”
The four new cards are now available to any user who is interested, Fresh Connect confirmed via email.
The payment solution is accepted at over 20,000 retailers across 15 states, including major grocers like Albertsons, Fred Meyer, Harris Teeter, Kroger, Safeway, Shaws and Walmart Supercenters, according to the company’s website. The payment solution first launched in 2020 and now has over 25,000 cardholders.
