Food platform Fresh Connect adds Albertsons, Kroger, Walmart

A non-profit food prescription platform is now providing its shoppers access to eligible healthy food at Albertson’s, Kroger, and Walmart.

Boston-based non-profit About Fresh is leveraging the FIS Filtered Spend solution to expand its proprietary Fresh Connect food prescription platform. The platform’s national network of over 10,000 grocery stores now includes Albertsons, Kroger and Walmart locations.  

Fresh Connect members, who are typically consumers experiencing food insecurity, shop for fresh fruits and vegetables at their preferred local store, swipe a prepaid debit card at checkout, and the cost of eligible healthy foods are automatically deducted from the total purchase price. Through the Fresh Connect platform, shoppers’ healthcare providers cover the cost of healthy food.

The cloud-based platform integrates seamlessly with healthcare IT infrastructure and workflow, and streamlines program administration and measurement. In addition, shoppers receive ongoing, personalized cardholder support from the point of enrollment.

[Read more: Albertsons expands health benefits payment options]

"As a retailer that operates popular supermarkets such as Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco and Shaw's in communities across the country, our partnership with About Fresh and FIS gives Fresh Connect program recipients more options when shopping for nutritious food," said Irina Pelphrey, VP of health and managed care at Albertsons Companies. "For many of those shoppers who already shop our stores and pharmacies for needs outside of their monthly benefit, the ability to now use their Fresh Connect card will be a tremendous convenience."

"At About Fresh, we are building a first-of-its-kind infrastructure, making it possible for health plans, providers, community-based organizations, and others, to leverage the scale and efficiency of grocery retail and ecommerce to maximize the value of their investment into food as medicine," said Josh Trautwein, co-founder and CEO of About Fresh. "Joining the FIS Filtered Spend network is a significant milestone as it will allow shoppers across the country to use their Fresh Connect card at more than 10,000 stores to purchase the foods foundational to good health and do so in a manner that is convenient, joyful, and reverent of food culture."

About Fresh is a Boston-based nonprofit committed to expanding access to high-quality, fresh food. The organization combines technology, food retail, and community-driven advocacy to expand access to fresh, culturally-relevant food.

Fresh Connect enables healthcare organizations to cover the cost of fresh food for patients where they already shop. It is composed of a prepaid debit card funded by healthcare institutions and a HIPAA-compliant program management platform,