Healthcare giants launch Food as Medicine Network

Eight major healthcare organizations are betting that food might be as powerful as pharmaceuticals in treating chronic disease. The Food is Medicine National Network of Excellence, launched this month by Tufts University and Kaiser Permanente, marks the largest coordinated effort yet to integrate food-based treatments into mainstream medical care. 

The timing is critical: Diet-related conditions now affect a staggering proportion of Americans. Half of all U.S. adults have diabetes or prediabetes, while three in four are overweight or obese. The economic impact is equally severe, with poor nutrition costing the economy $1.1 trillion annually in healthcare expenses and lost productivity.

“Each year, suboptimal diets and food insecurity cause more than 500,000 deaths ,” said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, director of the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts in a press release. “By working together, we can scale evidence-based nutritional interventions that are driving change, improving health, and reducing disparities.”

The network brings together industry heavyweights including CVS Health, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Devoted Health, Elevance Health, Geisinger, and Highmark Health. Their goal: transforming how the healthcare system approaches nutrition-related diseases.

Beyond traditional treatment

The initiative represents a significant shift from conventional medical approaches. Rather than treating diet as separate from medical care, the network aims to integrate food-based interventions directly into treatment plans.

Early research shows promising results. Patients receiving medically tailored meals – specialized diets designed for specific health conditions – were 49% less likely to be hospitalized and showed a 16% reduction in overall healthcare costs, even after accounting for program expenses.

Similarly, produce prescription programs, which provide free or discounted fruits and vegetables to patients with chronic conditions, have led to measurable health improvements. A meta-analysis found these programs increased fruit and vegetable consumption by 22% and improved key health metrics.

Systemic changes needed

Despite the potential benefits, significant barriers remain. Less than 1% of lecture hours in U.S. medical schools are dedicated to nutrition education, even though doctors are among patients’ most trusted sources for dietary advice.

“Kaiser Permanente has been testing Food is Medicine programs for several years,” said Pamela Schwartz, executive director for Community Health at Kaiser Permanente in a press release. “We’re excited by their potential to improve health. That’s why we’re expanding these efforts and using our findings to help other health care organizations do the same.”

The network will focus on three key challenges: developing standardized frameworks for measuring outcomes, optimizing program delivery, and communicating evidence to policymakers and industry leaders.

Economic implications

For insurers and healthcare systems, the financial incentives are compelling. Studies suggest that implementing medically tailored meal programs nationwide could save $13.6 billion annually in healthcare costs. A national produce prescription program could save an additional $40 billion.

The participation of major insurers signals growing confidence that food-based interventions could help address the estimated 85% of healthcare spending related to managing diet-related chronic diseases.

Looking ahead

The initiative comes as healthcare systems face mounting pressure to address chronic diseases more effectively. The Biden administration’s 2022 White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health highlighted food as medicine programs as key strategies for improving national health outcomes.

The network’s launch suggests that food as medicine has reached a tipping point in American healthcare. If successful, it could establish nutritional interventions as standard components of medical care, alongside pharmaceutical and surgical options – potentially transforming how the U.S. addresses its chronic disease epidemic.