Key drivers to improve food security and health outcomes: An evidence review of food bank - health care partnerships and related interventions

Food insecurity impacts health across the lifespan and can lead to increased risk for chronic diseases. Compounding this, Black, Latino, and Native American households have higher rates of food insecurity and experience worse health outcomes compared to white households. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated both food insecurity and health disparities. Food banks and health care organizations are increasingly working together to address the links between food insecurity and health and to address health disparities to improve the lives of the clients and patients they collectively serve.

Over the past several years, Feeding America has embarked on a process of reviewing evidence to inform decisions and investments. Feeding America developed the Levels of Evidence Framework to assess and compare rigor and effectiveness across a range of tested interventions. This evidence review uses the Framework to identify the core interventions that food banks and health care systems are engaged with as partners. Examples include food insecurity screenings in health care settings followed by referrals to food pantries, referrals to produce distribution programs, or diabetes self-management programs in food pantries.