In 2012, Wholesome Wave — a nonprofit organization working to end food and nutrition insecurity — launched its Produce Prescription Program. The program combines healthcare with nutrition incentives, offering those who have a diet-related illness with prescriptions for healthy foods, namely fruits and vegetables.
Wholesome Wave’s ongoing initiative is just one of many so-called food pharmacies. The emerging concept is an extension of the Food is Medicine (FIM) movement, which emphasizes the correlation between healthy eating and longevity. Food pharmacies are exactly what their name suggests: Healthcare organizations and medical professionals provide patients with physical prescriptions for healthy foods along with resources highlighting the importance of a well-rounded diet. Many pharmacies work in tandem with the healthcare system, although several exist outside of the system.
A 2021 research article published in the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology explained that food pharmacy programs “primarily focus on removing barriers to healthy eating, such as financial constraints, through coupons and financial incentives to promote consumption of healthy foods, particularly fruits and vegetables.” Some programs may also take extra steps to make nutritional education more accessible.
“Food pharmacy programs may also target a variety of barriers, such as a lack of knowledge of healthy eating and cooking skills through inclusion of nutrition or culinary education, a lack of household or community support through peer-support components in the program, or a lack of geographic access to fresh produce through transportation assistance or facilitation of establishment of new locations for vendors of healthy foods,” the article specified.
Poor diet remains the leading cause of mortality among adults in the United States, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH). The most common diet-related illnesses include type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease (CVD), obesity and certain cancers. As of 2022, 126.9 million Americans ages 20 and older have some form of CVD, the NIH reported. Today, obesity remains the second leading cause of preventable death in the States. Over 40% of adults nationwide are obese, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in September. Twenty-three states have the highest adult obesity rates, which the CDC defines as 35% or higher: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Diet-related illnesses disproportionately affect underserved communities that live in food deserts. “Access to healthy nutritious foods is an essential social determinant of health and is heavily influenced by local environments and community infrastructure,” the NIH specified, adding that evidence-based policy solutions are a necessity to “foster an equitable and climate-smart food system” that improves overall nutrition and eliminates health disparities.
That’s where food pharmacies come into play.
Per the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology, studies have shown that food pharmacies are effective in lessening social, physical and financial barriers to healthy eating. The prevalence of food pharmacy programs has also increased in recent years. In the spring of 2017, the New York City Health Department launched Pharmacy to Farm, a program that gives funds for fresh produce to low-income New Yorkers who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and are on medication for hypertension. Similarly, Geisinger Health System introduced its Fresh Food Farmacy in Pennsylvania to help food-insecure patients suffering from type II diabetes. A study cited in a 2018 article published by the New England Journal of Medicine’s Catalyst journal found that Fresh Food Farmacy patients’ hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) levels dropped an average of 2.1% compared to a 0.5 - 1.5% drop when exclusively on medication.
On October 21, the DMV-based Capital Area Food Bank announced its partnership with Unity Health Care to launch a new food pharmacy in Washington, D.C. The program provides approximately 40 pounds of medically tailored groceries on a bimonthly basis to food-insecure patients suffering from chronic conditions. Patients receive fresh produce and shelf-stable foods that are low in sugar and high in fiber and nutrients.
Despite its benefits, food pharmacies have their fair share of limitations, including financial constraints, lack of neighborhood availability and personal barriers (like a “lack of desire” to eat fruits and vegetables among certain patients), the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology noted. The programs, however, are still a step forward in the right direction to reduce diet-related chronic diseases and food insecurity.
