The field of food is medicine (FIM) experienced a rapid acceleration in research and public policy over the past year, according to a new report from the American Heart Association’s Health Care by Food™ initiative. The annual report, Advances in the Food Is Medicine Field 2026, reviewed 57 research studies published between July 2025 and June 2026, representing a 68% increase from the previous year. Notably, the number of randomized controlled trials quadrupled in just one year, signaling a rapidly expanding scientific evidence base.
The report also highlights substantial government investment. Sixteen states have approved or are considering Medicaid waivers supporting FIM programs, and six states are using Medicaid managed care in lieu of services authority to provide FIM services. Federal policymakers increased food is medicine funding by $24 million in the FY2026 spending bill, a more than fourfold increase since FY2024. State Medicaid evaluations found that FIM programs were associated with lower hospitalization and emergency department use, as well as reductions in healthcare costs.
Medically tailored meals and medically tailored groceries showed particularly promising results across multiple studies. Researchers found growing evidence that these interventions can improve blood pressure, hemoglobin A1c, and other cardiometabolic risk factors, with stronger signals when paired with nutrition counseling, community health worker support, or other complementary services. The report states that further research is needed to understand the specific role these services may play in improving health outcomes.
“Food is medicine science has moved beyond the question of whether these interventions are feasible and effective to how they can be most beneficial for individual patients and communities,” said Nancy Brown, Chief Executive Officer of the American Heart Association. “Today’s evidence is helping answer which interventions work best, for whom, under what circumstances, and how healthcare systems can implement them effectively to meaningfully improve health cost effectively.”
Personalized, patient-centered approaches are emerging as key success factors. The strongest outcomes were seen in programs that combined food support with services such as nutrition counseling, diabetes self-management education, motivational interviewing, community health worker support, and care navigation. Participant preferences, cultural relevance, convenience, and flexibility play critical roles in program engagement and effectiveness, according to the studies reviewed.
“The science of food is medicine is rapidly developing,” said Kevin Volpp, MD, PhD, American Heart Association’s Health Care by Food scientific lead. “The next phase of research will focus on matching the type and design of a food is medicine intervention to a patient’s needs, preferences and circumstances – an essential step in continuing to increase engagement and sustained impact.”
The report concludes that the field is entering a more mature phase, shifting from questions about feasibility toward optimization, implementation, financing, and sustainability. The growing body of evidence is helping healthcare leaders, policymakers, and payers make more informed decisions about integrating food-based interventions into healthcare delivery. The American Heart Association launched the Health Care by Food initiative in 2023 to improve health and reduce the burden of diet-related chronic diseases by integrating evidence-based nutrition interventions into healthcare systems. For more information, visit heart.org or stroke.org.
