Prescribing Vegetables & Fruits to Improve Health

October 23, 2024

The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health—held in September 2022—renewed national attention on the value of using Food as Medicine and issued a call to action to end hunger and reduce the prevalence of chronic disease in the United States by 2030.  As such, Food As Medicine has gained a lot of momentum over the past few years.  One pillar of this initiative includes Produce Prescription Programs (PRx) that offer free or discounted produce to patients based on a range of health and nutrition eligibility criteria. Most programs use the federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) definition of produce, which includes fruits and vegetables in all forms—fresh, frozen, canned, dehydrated—that don’t contain added fat, sugar, or salt. Eligible patients receive vouchers or gift cards to use at grocery stores or boxes delivered to their homes.

More research has been done on PRx than any other program under the Food As Medicine initiative, showing improved health markers like reduced blood pressure, diabetes remission, and weight control for participants.

Potatoes USA Director of Nutrition, Bonnie Johnson, recently attended the National Produce Prescription Summit that discussed how these programs are getting vegetables and fruits to people and how the programs are improving health outcomes.  One of the many important insights from the Summit is that nourishment is more than calories. Providing nutrient-dense, culturally relevant fruits and vegetables, such as potatoes, ensures that people eat the produce provided.

One of the most powerful messages of the Summit was from Michelle Howell, a farmer from Kentucky, who said “Don’t forget the farmers.” Her stories about working directly with farmers to assemble “hyper-fresh” PRx boxes and distributing them to their local communities were powerful and inspiring.

Potatoes USA is actively identifying opportunities for potatoes to be included in all Food As Medicine initiatives, including Produce Prescription Programs.