As healthcare organizations face increasing pressure to improve outcomes, reduce avoidable utilization and manage rising costs, food as medicine continues to gain momentum as a practical, evidence-based strategy for supporting whole-person care.
To help healthcare leaders navigate this rapidly evolving landscape, Mom's Meals® has published a new white paper, Food as Medicine at Scale: Targeted Nutrition Interventions to Improve Outcomes and Reduce Total Cost of Care. It explores the evidence, implementation strategies and policy opportunities shaping the future of food as medicine.
Drawing on more than 25 years of experience delivering nutrition solutions nationwide, the white paper examines the populations most likely to benefit from nutrition interventions, the importance of aligning nutrition support to clinical needs and the operational considerations required to successfully scale programs.
"Food as medicine is moving from innovation to implementation as healthcare organizations look for practical ways to improve outcomes and reduce costs," said Chris Choi, chief executive officer of Mom's Meals. "What we've learned is that meaningful impact comes from being intentional about who we serve, how programs are designed and how nutrition is integrated into broader care strategies. When applied thoughtfully, food as medicine can become a scalable component of whole-person care."
The white paper highlights real-world examples of nutrition interventions supporting individuals managing chronic conditions, high-risk pregnancies, behavioral health needs, post-discharge recovery and long-term care needs. These programs demonstrated measurable improvements in health outcomes, member engagement, healthcare utilization and total cost of care.
Among the topics covered:
- High-impact populations for food as medicine interventions
- Medically tailored meals, produce and pantry support, and nutrition counseling and education
- Real-world outcomes from programs serving individuals with chronic conditions, maternal health needs, behavioral health conditions, post-discharge recovery needs and long-term care needs
- Federal and state policy developments expanding access to nutrition interventions
- Best practices for designing, implementing and scaling food as medicine programs
- Opportunities to advance nutrition-focused care delivery
"Nutrition is a foundational component of health, particularly for individuals managing chronic conditions or recovering from illness," Choi said. "As the evidence base continues to grow, the opportunity ahead is to build scalable models that make clinically appropriate nutrition interventions available to more people who can benefit from them."
Download Food as Medicine at Scale: Targeted Nutrition Interventions to Improve Outcomes and Reduce Total Cost of Care to explore the evidence, strategies and policy opportunities shaping the future of food as medicine.
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About Mom's Meals
Mom's Meals provides comprehensive food as medicine solutions nationwide, including medically tailored meals, produce and pantry boxes, oral nutrition supplements, and nutrition counseling and education. For more than 25 years, Mom's Meals has partnered with health plans, healthcare providers and community organizations to improve life through better nutrition at home.
