Sharper Definitions of Food is Medicine: Five Core Themes

With support from the Ardmore Institute of Health, Food and Society at the Aspen Institute convened a workshop in Tucson, Arizona focused on advancing clearer, more actionable definitions of Food is Medicine. Hosted at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona, Sharper Definitions of Food is Medicine convened leaders from healthcare systems, community-based organizations, academic institutions, and advocacy groups.

The day featured a series of interactive sessions that highlighted both the momentum and fragmentation within food is medicine. Participants engaged in a round robin discussion of how terms like medically tailored meals, produce prescriptions, culinary medicine, and whole person health are currently being defined and applied across the country. These conversations demonstrated the need for clearer, more consistent definitions to support reimbursement, implementation, and evaluation across diverse settings.

Several sessions focused on identifying common frameworks and tools that could help standardize food is medicine interventions while still allowing for local adaptation. The five key themes that emerged are:

Context Matters Across the Supply Chain

Food is Medicine cannot be implemented with a one-size-fits-all approach. Effective design and delivery require an understanding of the full supply chain, including farmers, aggregators, local food hubs, community-based organizations, healthcare systems, and policymakers. Each actor brings unique constraints and opportunities, and the success of Food is Medicine interventions depends on their alignment. Programs must be tailored to reflect cultural foodways, local sourcing capacities, and varying levels of institutional readiness across urban and rural contexts.

Balancing Financial and Human Value

Building a strong financial case for Food is Medicine, including clear return on investment, cost avoidance, and improved clinical outcomes, is essential to secure long-term funding and policy support. However, equally important are human-centered outcomes such as patient engagement, joy, trust in healthcare systems, and cultural resonance. When dignity and respect are embedded into Food is Medicine design, programs are more likely to generate lasting behavior change and community buy-in.

Gaps in Data and Evidence

There is a critical need for more robust data to inform decision-making at every level. Specific gaps exist in identifying the right intervention for the right patient, measuring the longitudinal effects of food-based care on chronic disease, capturing non-clinical outcomes like stress reduction or social connectedness, and tracking food sourcing impacts. Without this data, Food is Medicine advocates struggle to translate qualitative stories and programmatic successes into evidence that healthcare systems and policymakers can act on.

Infrastructure for Integration and Scalability

Community based organizations face significant challenges in integrating with healthcare workflows due to fragmented technology, limited billing capacity, and unclear quality standards. Much of this difficulty stems from the fact that we are trying to build coordinated Food is Medicine systems on top of healthcare and food systems that are already fractured and inequitable. As a result, even successful local programs often remain isolated, with limited capacity to scale or connect to broader networks. Scalable Food is Medicine systems require shared, interoperable infrastructure for referrals, payments, patient data collection, and outcomes reporting. Without this foundation, integration remains burdensome and inconsistent. 

Widespread Momentum and Demand Across Stakeholders

There is strong and growing momentum behind Food is Medicine from a broad range of stakeholders, including patients, clinicians, community-based organizations, farmers, and healthcare leaders. This support is reflected in a wide array of successful local programs, increased interest from health systems, and expanding networks focused on culturally relevant and dignity-centered interventions. Many stakeholders are eager to see Food is Medicine fully integrated into healthcare and food systems. The challenge now is how to channel this momentum into sustainable, scalable, and coordinated implementation strategies.