The International Fresh Produce Association participated in the National Produce Prescription Collaborative’s fly-in that coincided with the first comprehensive Food is Medicine Summit, hosted by the Department of Health and Human Services in late January and early February.
IFPA, which serves on the collaborative’s steering committee, said in a news release that increasing produce prescriptions and embedding them as a covered benefit in the federal health system is part of its strategic efforts to grow consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables and improve community health throughout the U.S.
“With 250 produce prescription programs currently operating in the U.S., the reality is we need this to scale to change the course of our nation’s health,” Mollie Van Lieu, IFPA vice president of nutrition and health, said in the release. “Incorporating this program into the standards of clinical care for Medicare, Medicaid, the Veterans Health Administration, and Indian Health Services which cover more than 150 million Americans could be transformational.”
Fly-in participants met with 19 policymakers from both sides of the aisle, including those with oversight on agricultural appropriations. The HHS summit included the announcement of three public-private partnerships between the agency and Feeding America, Instacart and the Rockefeller Foundation, according to the release.
HHS has partnered with Instacart through its Instacart Health initiative to leverage its technology, partnerships, research and advocacy to expand access to nutritious food, inspire people to make healthy choices and scale food as medicine programs, the release said. The company will work with HHS to support, scale and study food as medicine interventions.
The Food is Medicine summit also announced five principles that HHS said will guide its work, according to the release:
- Recognizing nourishment is essential for good health, well-being and resilience.
- Facilitating easy access to healthy food across in the community.
- Cultivating an understanding of the relationship between nutrition and health.
- Uniting partners with diverse assets to build sustained and integrated solutions.
- Investing in the capacity of under-resourced communities.
