Food as Medicine
“We often discuss diet and exercise when treating patients with chronic health conditions, but the cost of eating healthy can be a barrier for many families. Now with the Produce Prescription Program, we can treat food as medicine and can get more fruits and vegetables on families’ tables.”
Every Saturday morning thousands of people from across central Missouri come together at Columbia Farmers Market to buy food from local farmers, enjoy live music, and spend time with friends. Now, thanks to Boone County’s first Produce Prescription Program, more families can join in the fun. For food-insecure families, especially those with high health care needs, eating fresh fruits and vegetables can be unaffordable.
Produce Prescription Programs are part of a nationwide trend that allows doctors to prescribe fresh fruits and vegetables to their patients. There are currently over 100 Produce Prescription Programs in the United States. Through our local program, doctors at Compass Health write "prescriptions" for food-insecure families at risk of diet-related diseases. The families receive tokens to shop for free fruits and vegetables at Columbia Farmers Market every week. It's a win-win. The program supports both food-insecure families and local farmers. Our Produce Prescription Program was established in 2021 by CCUA, Columbia Farmers Market, and Compass Health Network, with funding from Boone County Child Services Fund.
Why should food be treated like medicine? Eating a healthy, balanced diet can help prevent and manage chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. More fresh fruits and vegetables also have a variety of other positive impacts on a person’s health. Patients in the Produce Prescription Program are noticing changes to their health. After only a few months, participants reported weight loss, improved diabetes management, increased milk production for breastfeeding, more energy, and reduced feelings of stress.
“By providing this [prescription] card to my family, we were able to get more vegetables for our household. I was able to actually venture out and try vegetables that I wouldn’t have picked up before because I didn’t have the extra funds to spend on something my kids might not like. “Might” is a big shot in the dark when referring to funds and food. That is not a chance I was willing to take previously.”
For food-insecure families, affording a healthy diet in addition to other household expenses is challenging. The average cost of a single meal in Boone County has risen by nearly $0.25 since 2017. For a family of four, that’s an extra $90 per month. The USDA estimates that the price of food will continue to increase. Often, families are forced to sacrifice fresh fruits and vegetables to pay for rent, utility bills, medications, and other things. The Produce Prescription Program means that families don’t have to make impossible choices like food versus rent. Now they have more freedom to buy healthy foods without taking away from their overall household budget.
The Produce Prescription Program helps families buy fresh fruits and vegetables by prescribing a "dosage" based on their household size. When families fill their prescriptions at the Market, they can purchase any fresh fruit or vegetable that is available. In addition to the health and monetary benefits of the program, one patient told us, “This [program] has also changed our family dynamic because my kids know on Saturday we get up and go to the market as a family and look and see if we see anything new or interesting to research during the week and then plan a meal incorporating it. We have come closer together.”
CCUA’s Produce Prescription Program is part of a national movement to treat food as medicine and focus on preventative health care in a community setting. CCUA and our partners are excited to continue working together to improve food security, strengthen families’ health, and bring communities closer together through the Produce Prescription Program.
Why should food be treated as medicine?
How can low-income families afford fresh produce?
Example of a produce prescription card patients receive.