Key Takeaways
Feeding America released the nation's largest Food as Medicine evaluation of food banks on Wednesday, finding self-reported hospitalizations fell 14 percent and emergency department visits fell 11 percent, per the announcement.
The three-year program screened more than 1.45 million patients for food insecurity and connected more than 161,000 households to nutritious food across 13 states.
Elevance Health Foundation invested $14.1 million, the largest grant in its history, across 21 food banks and more than 50 health care sites.
Feeding America on Wednesday released the largest Food as Medicine evaluation ever run through its food bank network, and the results give the movement its strongest numbers yet. Participants reported 14 percent fewer hospitalizations and 11 percent fewer emergency department visits after getting consistent access to nutritious food alongside their health care.
The program ran for three years across 21 Feeding America food banks and more than 50 health care sites in 13 states, funded by a $14.1 million investment from Elevance Health Foundation, the largest grant in the foundation's history. Health providers screened more than 1.45 million patients for food insecurity and connected more than 161,000 households to food, nutrition education, and dietitian support.
The outcomes go beyond hospital visits. Participants reported a 47 percent increase in food security, and clinical markers including HbA1c, BMI, and LDL cholesterol improved meaningfully, with larger gains among people who attended more dietitian sessions. The evaluation was conducted independently by the Center for Nutrition and Health Impact using more than 5,600 surveys, paired clinical data, and in-depth interviews, with the full report published by Feeding America.
"When neighbors have consistent access to nutritious food, real change follows," said Melanie Hall, Feeding America's chief health, research and evaluation officer.
The timing matters. Health systems and insurers are debating whether food belongs in the standard of care, and hard outcome data is what moves that debate. Food banks keep showing up in that conversation, from the $5 million childhood hunger campaign Feeding America joined last week to philanthropists erasing medical debt that food-insecure families disproportionately carry. This study connects those two worlds with numbers.
People Also Ask
What is Food as Medicine?
Food as Medicine programs treat access to nutritious food as part of health care. Providers screen patients for food insecurity, then connect them to food banks, produce prescriptions, nutrition education, and dietitian support alongside medical treatment.
What did the Feeding America Food as Medicine study find?
Over three years, participants self-reported 14 percent fewer hospitalizations and 11 percent fewer emergency department visits, food security rose 47 percent, and clinical markers like HbA1c, BMI, and LDL cholesterol improved.
Who funded the Food as Medicine evaluation?
Elevance Health Foundation invested $14.1 million, the largest grant in its history. The program ran through 21 Feeding America network food banks and more than 50 health care sites in 13 states.
Why do food banks partner with hospitals?
Food insecurity drives worse chronic conditions and higher care costs. Partnering lets hospitals address a root cause of illness while food banks reach the people who need support most, and this study suggests it reduces avoidable hospital visits.