In a recent community press release, leading grocery delivery service provider Shipt gave a big mention to our joint grocery delivery program for patients with type 2 diabetes and food insecurity:
The University of Michigan and Shipt have collaborated on several research projects demonstrating the benefits of grocery delivery to individuals with low income or food insecurity:
- In one study, researchers found that grocery delivery services improved access to healthy foods for 70 percent of participants. The study assessed the feasibility of a program to deliver healthy foods to pregnant youth with low income.
- Another project, funded by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, – which tested the viability of a program to provide food stipends and delivery services to improve the health of individuals with low income or food insecurity and Type 2 diabetes – underscores the important role delivery services play in connecting underserved populations to nutritious foods. The initial results show that a majority of participants reported that grocery delivery helped them make healthier meals and that they were more aware of their food choices.
The latter project mentioned is the Healthy Eating Jumpstart pilot program, a cross-CQI partnership between the Michigan Collaborative for Type 2 Diabetes (MCT2D), HBOM, and Shipt. The Jumpstart pilot concluded in Summer 2023. Our Michigan CQI teams co-published a protocol on the innovative QI project last month in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.
In the press release, Shipt announced that it will now accept SNAP EBT payments on its online grocery shopping platform.
This upgrade to Shipt’s marketplace will increase access to healthy, affordable foods to almost 74 percent of America’s food deserts, and to over 86 million Americans living in communities where over 1 in 10 households receive SNAP EBT benefits*.
June 26, 2024 press release