Medically Tailored Meals (MTM)
Prepared meals designed to meet the specific medical needs of individuals with serious health conditions, supporting strict dietary requirements when cooking is a challenge.
Food Is Medicine
Food Is Medicine: Better Health, Delivered Weekly
Food is Medicine uses nutritious, clinically informed food to support people living with chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. At Project FoodBox, we turn that idea into action with medically tailored food boxes delivered directly to members' homes as part of their existing health coverage.
Project FoodBox proudly offers Medically Tailored Food Box Programs to members of qualifying insurance providers. Fresh food boxes, pantry items or frozen meals are delivered directly to your doorstep, included in your existing health coverage.
The basics
What Does “Food Is Medicine” Mean?
“A spectrum of health interventions and programs aimed at increasing access to nutritious foods and nutrition education to improve the health outcomes of food insecure individuals living with diet-related chronic disease.” Definition from the NYS Food as Medicine Coalition
Food is Medicine is the belief that access to healthy and nutritious food is essential for well-being. This approach emphasizes the use of whole, nutrient-dense foods to address specific health conditions, improve overall well-being, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and obesity.
At Project FoodBox, we bring together local farmers, trusted kitchens, nutrition experts, and community partners to deliver food with purpose. Our boxes are built to nourish bodies and support conditions like diabetes and heart disease, at no cost to those who qualify through participating health plans.
Why it matters
Why Food Is Medicine Matters
Diet-related chronic conditions are on the rise and often go hand-in-hand with limited access to nutritious foods. Food is Medicine programs bridge this gap by pairing clinically informed nutrition with healthcare, helping people stabilize their conditions, reduce complications, and feel more in control of their health.
Food and overall well-being are deeply connected, and for many people, nutrition is a missing piece of their care plan.
Large Food is Medicine initiatives have shown the potential for fewer hospitalizations, better management of chronic disease, and meaningful savings for health systems.
Our model
How Food Is Medicine Works at Project FoodBox
Project FoodBox brings nutrition science and coordination with care teams together to deliver pantry items, medically tailored meals, and produce from local farms and kitchens, making it easier for members to support better health through food. Our turnkey model is built to fit seamlessly into existing health coverage and care workflows.
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Assess Needs
We manage HIPAA-compliant screenings to determine participant eligibility and clinical nutrition needs.
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Tailor Nutrition
Registered Dietitians craft medically tailored food boxes to support conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension.
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Source Fresh Food
We work with a national network of growers and local family farms to source fresh fruits, vegetables, pantry items, and frozen meals.
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Deliver to the Doorstep
Boxes are delivered weekly to homes or community partners in protective, temperature-controlled packaging.
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Report & Improve
Project FoodBox provides encounter reporting, claims support, and outcome tracking.
Program models
Types of Food is Medicine Programs
Food is Medicine can look different from place to place, but the goal is always the same: make it easier for people to eat in a way that supports their health. Project FoodBox supports several program models designed to meet members where they are.
Learn how these program types fit into our delivery model. How it works → See what members receive →
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Medically Tailored Groceries (MTG)
Weekly or bi-weekly bundles of fresh produce, proteins, and select shelf-stable items curated by Registered Dietitians to support individualized dietary needs at home.
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Medically Supportive Food (MSF)
Produce prescribed to align with national nutrition guidelines that support the prevention or management of diet-sensitive conditions.
Evidence & research
The Evidence Behind Food is Medicine
Across the country, health plans, health systems, and foundations are investing in Food is Medicine because the evidence is growing: medically tailored nutrition can improve health outcomes, boost food security, and generate meaningful value for communities and payers.
Research
Food is Medicine at Scale
Large initiatives have shown that Food is Medicine programs can improve health outcomes, reduce hospital use, and create economic benefits when implemented at scale.
Read: The Evidence Is In
Case study
Project FoodBox Outcomes
Early program data from Project FoodBox show positive changes in members' eating patterns, access to nutritious food, and confidence in managing chronic conditions.
Read the case study
Partnerships
Clinical Partnerships
Collaborations with health plans and providers demonstrate how integrating medically tailored nutrition into care pathways can strengthen engagement and align with initiatives like CalAIM.
See our California programReal Stories
How Food is Medicine Feels in Real Life
“Project FoodBox has been an outstanding partner in supporting patients with chronic conditions… Beyond convenience, we’ve even seen reductions in A1c levels. By removing the guesswork from meal planning...”
See if you can access a Food is Medicine program in your area
“The member engagement we've seen through FoodBox has been incredible. They're fast, flexible, and clinically grounded, exactly what we needed for CalAIM.”
Learn how health plans and providers partner with Project FoodBox