Program

From the world of business comes the adage "we manage what we measure." A corollary is that if we are attempting to manage it, we should be measuring the changes we purport to be making. If food-as-medicine interventions are to improve health outcomes, they will do so by improving diet quality; yet, change in objectively quantified diet quality is almost never measured. Food-as-medicine programming that does not measure change in diet quality is analogous to antihypertension programming that fails to measure blood pressure. The case will be made that diet quality is FAM's missing metric. Implications for policy, research, and practice will be explored.

Ultra‑processed foods activate reward‑learning circuits in ways that drive compulsive intake, metabolic disruption, and chronic disease risk, yet these neurobiological mechanisms remain largely absent from current food-as-medicine models. This session will translate cutting‑edge neuroscience into practical design principles for medically tailored meals, produce prescriptions, and value‑based care strategies that can reduce dependence on ultra‑processed diets and improve patient outcomes at scale.

This session will highlight how a rural health system is integrating local food procurement into clinical and community food-as-medicine strategies, including hospital cafeterias, CSA produce boxes, and onsite farmers' markets. By partnering with regional producers and distributors, this model strengthens local agriculture while improving access to nutritious food for patients, employees, and communities. The session will explore operational, financial, and policy considerations for scaling similar approaches nationwide.

This session examines the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) as a scalable Food as Medicine model that reaches children during critical developmental years. By pairing daily produce access with food education, culinary engagement, and cross-sector collaboration, FFVP offers a prevention-focused approach that builds dietary habits before disease onset. Through applied case studies, the panel will explore how integrating access and education increases consumption, strengthens health equity, and aligns with broader Food as Medicine goals.

Community Health Centers (CHCs) are at the forefront of implementing food-as-medicine interventions, including produce prescriptions, medically tailored meals, and nutrition counseling to address nutrition security and cardiometabolic health. Drawing on findings from a national qualitative assessment of over 100 CHCs and primary care associations across 37 states, this session examines how food-based interventions are being integrated into healthcare delivery and the policy and financing structures needed to sustain them.