WASHINGTON — USA Today is spotlighting a food-as-medicine pilot involving Kroger, Walmart and Hy-Vee, highlighting how grocery-based pharmacies could play a larger role in connecting patients with nutritious foods and improving chronic disease outcomes.
The Sept. 22 article, “Why pharmacies are prescribing food as medicine,” prominently features the Community Pharmacy Produce Prescriptions Project (CP3), funded by the NACDS Foundation and conducted in partnership with the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.
The six-month study aims to enroll 600 participants across approximately 60 sites in 10 states. Participants must have diabetes or hypertension and be food or nutrition insecure.
Pharmacists at participating locations screen patients and provide eligible participants with Nutrition Prescriptions that offer at least $60 per month for nutritious foods, including fruits, vegetables, beans, and seafood. Participants also receive nutrition education and support.
The USA Today coverage highlights pharmacies' potential to provide an existing, accessible infrastructure for food-as-medicine programs, particularly in small towns and rural communities.
The project is measuring changes in diet quality, food and nutrition security, and health measures including A1c and blood pressure. Research remains underway as participants complete their six-month evaluation periods.
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