Food insecurity and financial instability might seem like separate challenges—but they are deeply intertwined. At the intersection of fintech, public health, and social equity lies a powerful opportunity to drive lasting change.
By addressing both financial health and food security, innovators are creating solutions that go beyond profit to deliver real impact. Organizations like About Fresh are leading the way, reshaping how we understand and improve well-being through financial access and nutritious food.
Rethinking Financial Health and Food Security
Financial health goes far beyond having a bank account or setting a budget. It’s about having the tools and stability to weather life’s ups and downs while planning for a brighter future. For too long, traditional financial services have missed the mark by focusing on products, not people.
Many tools claim to help with financial health, but fall short. They offer credit when people are already in debt or budgeting apps that feel more like punishment than empowerment. But what if the path to financial resilience starts with something as simple—and essential—as fresh food?
From School Buses to Fintech: The About Fresh Journey
In 2013, About Fresh co-founder Josh Trotwein was working in a Boston health center when a key community grocery store closed. Suddenly, families who already struggled to make ends meet lost access to healthy food. The experience sparked an idea: bring the food to the people.
The solution was Fresh Truck—retrofitted school buses turned into mobile produce markets. These rolling grocery stores offered affordable fruits and vegetables in underserved neighborhoods. But it didn’t stop there.
Even with better access, many families still couldn’t afford to buy the food they needed. That’s when About Fresh took an unexpected turn and created a new initiative—Fresh Connect—a fintech-powered solution that helps health providers cover the cost of healthy food.
Why Food Matters to Fintech
It’s easy to think of fintech as a tool for money management. But in reality, it’s a bridge—one that connects people to the resources they need, whether that’s access to loans, digital payments, or in this case, nutritious food. Fresh Connect allows healthcare organizations to “prescribe” food to patients, just like medicine, and track its impact.
Initially, it started with paper vouchers. Over time, it evolved into a tech-enabled platform that works across retailers like Walmart, Kroger, and local farmers’ markets. Behind the scenes, fintech enables a seamless, dignified experience for users while capturing essential data for health systems and policymakers.
Financial and Physical Health: One and the Same
Research shows that food insecurity is not just about access—it’s about affordability. Roughly 7% of U.S. households experience food insecurity, and that number jumps dramatically among single mothers and families with young children.
Fresh Connect doesn’t just help people buy food. It redefines what it means to use technology for good. The card works like a normal payment method but is specifically designed for health-aligned food purchases. Users don’t have to navigate complicated systems or feel stigmatized. They get what they need, when they need it.
The Challenges of Building in Healthcare and Finance
Operating in both the healthcare and financial sectors is no small feat. Healthcare systems are notoriously fragmented. Data is siloed, regulations are strict, and patient-provider interactions are often rushed. Financial systems, on the other hand, can be slow to evolve and lack empathy.
About Fresh had to design a standalone solution that worked with minimal friction. Their technology needed to be intuitive for both patients and providers, while also offering the scalability and data insights that institutions need.
Rather than waiting for full-scale integration with health systems’ electronic records, they chose to start small and build independently. This allowed them to roll out faster, get feedback, and prove value—without being buried under red tape.
Rethinking the Business Model
One of the key insights from About Fresh is the need to reimagine how we structure incentives. Right now, healthcare providers are typically reimbursed for treating illness, not for keeping people healthy. But value-based care models are changing that.
If health systems can invest in preventative solutions—like healthy food—they could reduce chronic conditions and long-term costs. Fintech platforms like Fresh Connect provide the infrastructure to test and scale these models. With the right data, they can show that a food prescription today prevents a hospital stay tomorrow.
Fintech as a Tool for Systemic Change
What’s powerful about this approach is that it starts with the individual but has the potential to scale system-wide. A mom using a Fresh Connect card at her local grocer may seem small. But when that data gets tied back to health outcomes and used to shape policy, it becomes transformative.
The long-term vision is clear: make healthy food an integrated part of healthcare delivery. But it doesn’t stop there. This kind of thinking can apply to other areas too—like housing, mental health, and education—where financial tools can be designed with empathy and purpose.
The Bigger Picture
Across the globe, fintech is already enabling microloans for farmers, streamlining access to healthcare, and creating transparency in supply chains. In the case of food insecurity, the opportunity is twofold: support individuals in the short term and drive systemic change for the long term.
But to do this, fintech companies must move beyond buzzwords and focus on solving real problems. That means building technology that’s flexible, human-centered, and willing to work across sectors.
The Path Forward
Food is medicine. Financial stability is health. These truths are no longer up for debate. The question now is: how do we build systems that support both?
Fintech has the power to reduce friction, connect ecosystems, and measure what matters. It’s not just about payments or credit scores anymore. It’s about dignity, access, and equity.
By taking a page from About Fresh, fintech leaders can ask themselves a different set of questions: What does real impact look like? Who are we serving? And how can we create tools that put people first?
