As the Food as Medicine movement continues to gain momentum, produce prescriptions (PRx) are emerging as one of the most well-researched and scalable nutrition interventions in healthcare. A 2025 fact sheet from the Tufts University Food is Medicine Institute brings new clarity to the conversation by quantifying the potential health and economic impact of PRx programs at a national level.
The findings reinforce what many providers and community organizations are already seeing in practice: when nutritious food is integrated into care, both patients and health systems benefit.
Produce prescriptions are structured programs that allow healthcare providers to refer eligible patients to receive free or subsidized fruits and vegetables as part of their care plan. These programs typically serve individuals who are both food insecure and managing diet-sensitive conditions such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease.
Rather than functioning as a one-time benefit, PRx programs are designed to support ongoing dietary change by pairing food access with clinical oversight and, in many cases, nutrition education.
Using a national microsimulation model, Tufts researchers evaluated the projected 10-year impact of implementing produce prescriptions for adults ages 40–79 with diabetes and food insecurity. The analysis focused on two outcomes: health improvements and healthcare cost implications.
The model estimates that a nationwide PRx program could:
These gains are driven by increased fruit and vegetable consumption and associated improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors.
From a cost perspective, the findings are equally compelling:
These projections suggest that nutrition interventions can align with value-based care goals by improving outcomes while reducing long-term spending.
Produce prescriptions work because they address several barriers at once:
This combination helps bridge the gap between dietary advice and real-world ability to follow that guidance — a long-standing challenge in chronic disease management.
The Tufts analysis closely aligns with the model Project FoodBox has been advancing for years. Project FoodBox partners with healthcare providers and community organizations to deliver medically aligned food directly to patients managing diet-sensitive conditions. Like produce prescription programs, our approach centers on access, consistency, and alignment with care plans.
Both PRx programs and medically tailored food initiatives share a common foundation:
The Tufts findings help validate these approaches at scale, demonstrating that investments in nutrition access can deliver meaningful returns for both patients and health systems.
As healthcare systems continue to shift toward prevention, equity, and outcomes-based models, produce prescriptions offer a data-backed example of how nutrition can be integrated into care in a cost-effective way.
For clinicians, payers, and policymakers, the takeaway is clear: improving access to healthy food is not only a public health strategy — it is a viable healthcare intervention.
Project FoodBox remains committed to advancing Food as Medicine solutions that translate research into practice, helping ensure that nutritious food is accessible, actionable, and aligned with long-term health.