A Recipe for successful Food Is Medicine programs: Food plus people

Food-based interventions aimed at improving health—collectively referred to as Food Is Medicine (FIM)—are increasingly recognized within the health care system as an essential approach to preventing and managing chronic diseases. While nutrition has been identified as a pillar of health for centuries, the urgency to address patients’ nutritional needs and food access as part of a medical standard of care has recently garnered significant national attention. In 2022, the White House convened a conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health; and in 2024, the Department of Health and Human Services hosted the inaugural Food Is Medicine Summit, which engaged government, health care, for-profit, and nonprofit companies to drive forward much-needed solutions.

Although there have been promising developments in FIM, challenges remain that hinder the long-term sustainability of current efforts.

We work as direct-service providers in hospital systems and community-based organizations (CBOs) and have experience implementing FIM interventions in health care settings. And we believe that it is possible to elevate the current FIM movement, help tackle food insecurity at its roots, support health equity, and ensure sustainable care models that mitigate strain on health care organizations and providers. To that end, we offer three guiding principles, developed through our own experience, trial and tribulation to ensure the success of Food Is Medicine.