By Stacy Bates, MS, RDN, SPAN Health Strategies
Food as Medicine means using food, provided through or alongside health care, to prevent, manage or treat diet-related disease. Most programs fall into three groups: produce prescriptions, medically tailored groceries and medically tailored meals, usually paired with nutrition care from a qualified professional.
You will also see it called "Food Is Medicine." The American Heart Association defines it as healthy food provided to treat, manage or prevent diet-related conditions, integrated with and paid for by the health care sector. That last part is what makes it different from a food bank or a wellness campaign. The food is part of the care plan.
Why Food as Medicine Is Getting So Much Attention
Poor diet is a leading driver of chronic disease in the United States. The Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University estimates that health care spending and lost productivity tied to poor diets and food insecurity exceed $1.1 trillion each year. Health systems and health plans carry much of that cost. Grocers and food brands sell the foods that can help lower it. Food as Medicine is where those groups meet.
Types of Food as Medicine Programs
Programs differ by how much support they give and who they serve. A simple way to think about it: the sicker or less able to cook a person is, the more prepared the food tends to be.
With Produce Presc clinician "prescribes" fruits and vegetables, and the patient gets a card, voucher or credit to buy them, often at a grocery store or farmers market. These programs often target people with, or at risk for, conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure, especially when food insecurity is part of the picture.
With Medically Tailored Groceries, patients get groceries selected to fit a specific condition, guided by a registered dietitian. Patients still cook for themselves, so this works well for people who can shop and prepare meals but need help choosing the right foods and paying for them.
With Medically Tailored Meals fully prepared meals or meal kits are designed by a registered dietitian for a person's medical needs and delivered to them. These usually serve people with serious or complex illness who have trouble shopping or cooking.
The food is only part of it. Medical nutrition therapy and education from a registered dietitian help patients use the food well and help programs track progress. Broader programs like SNAP, WIC and school meals make up the base of nutrition security that these programs build on.
What the Evidence Shows So Far
The research is promising and still growing. A 2023 evaluation of nine U.S. produce prescription programs with 3,881 adults and children found that adults ate more fruits and vegetables and were about one-third less likely to report food insecurity after the programs. Adults with high blood pressure saw their systolic blood pressure drop by more than 8 points. The study had no control group, so it shows an association, not proof of cause.
For medically tailored meals, a 2022 modeling study in JAMA Network Open estimated that covering them for about 6.3 million eligible Americans could avert about 1.6 million hospitalizations and save a net $13.6 billion in the first year. That is a projection, not a trial result, but it helps explain why payers are paying attention.
The open question for the field is less "does food matter?" and more "which program, for whom, at what cost, and how do we prove it?"
Questions to Answer Before You Launch
Whether you lead a health system, a health plan, a grocery chain or a food company, these questions shape a program that can last:
Who are you serving? Match the type of program to the condition and how much support people need.
Who provides the nutrition care? Registered dietitians design, counsel and track. Plan for them from the start.
Where will people get the food? Stores, delivery, meal providers, or a mix. Access and convenience drive participation.
How will it be paid for? Funding comes from grants, health plans, Medicaid programs in some states, and employers. Rules vary by state and payer and keep changing.
How will you measure results? Pick outcomes before launch, such as food security, A1C, blood pressure, use of health care services and participation.
Where Grocery Retail Fits
Many Food as Medicine programs come to life in the grocery aisle. At H-E-B, I helped build one of the first retail practice groups staffed only by registered dietitians and billing for medical nutrition therapy, both in stores and virtually. I also led initiatives to help focus on our strategies for healthy benefits cards and FAM grant program collaborations. What I learned is that the clinical design matters, but so does the shopper experience. If the benefit is confusing at the register or the right foods are hard to find on the shelf, participation drops. Programs that work connect the clinic, the payer and the store. That takes shared goals, clear data and people who understand each side.
SPAN Health Strategies helps health systems, health plans, grocery retailers, food brands and health tech companies design, position and communicate Food as Medicine programs that hold up in practice.