Medically tailored meals to address the health consequences of food insecurity

Community Servings partners with health care systems and health insurers to provide medically tailored meals for people with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, cancer, or HIV. Health care providers help identify people who may benefit from medically tailored meals and refer them to Community Servings. At Community Servings, they receive a consultation with a registered dietitian–nutritionist, who can adapt meals using five core diet tracks (e.g., a diabetes-appropriate track) with 10 potential modifiers (e.g., vegetarian, or “mechanical soft” for patients who have difficulty chewing) to meet the specific medical needs and preferences of participants.

The program provides an opportunity for physicians, dietitian–nutritionists, and participants to collaborate on healthy eating. For example, a physician may identify someone with type 2 diabetes and hyperglycemia stemming from food insecurity and refer them to Community Servings. The participant and dietitian–nutritionist can then discuss diabetes-appropriate meals and individualized modifications, as well as arrange for delivery of these meals to support healthy eating. The program provides 10 meals, or about two thirds of each participant’s weekly food intake, delivered to the participant’s home once weekly. The meals are fully prepared and need only to be heated up.