Amazon.com has released the financial results for its first quarter, reporting marked increases for its net sales and net income, and also highlighting some of the biggest developments it has made with fresh produce.

The quarter, which ended on March 31, 2019, saw the company's total net sales rising 17% to US$59.7 billion. Net income increased to US$3.6 billion during this time, a total more than double year-on-year.

Regarding Amazon's latest fresh produce policies, over the quarter the company announced a third round of price cuts for all produce at its Whole Foods Market, and says it's offering additional Prime benefits with more exclusive weekly deals on popular products across departments.

With the growing customer demand for free, two-hour delivery from Whole Foods Market via Prime Now, Amazon and Whole Foods Market continue to expand the service in existing metros to serve even more customers, and develop coverage for new metros, including to nine additional U.S. metros.

Currently, delivery from Whole Foods Market via Prime Now is available in 75 U.S. metros, and grocery pickup from Whole Foods Market via Prime Now is available in 30 metros, though the company expects these numbers to rise this year.

A further change concerns the corporation's embrace of financial assistance programs at its Whole Foods Market - Amazon now accepts New York-issued Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) EBT cards as part of an online pilot launched in collaboration with the United States Department of Agriculture.

This means millions of beneficiaries can now use their nutrition assistance benefits to order groceries online and have them delivered directly to their door, including through free access to Prime Pantry and Amazon Fresh.