Sponsors (9)
The bill provides modest, targeted grant funding to expand medically tailored nutrition and access supports—potentially improving health for low-income and chronically ill patients and producing useful evidence—while limiting reach due to small funding, competitive grant dynamics, possible geographic gaps, and added administrative burdens.
People with diet-related chronic conditions (e.g., diabetes, hypertension) gain access to medically tailored foods, meals, and nutrition services—prioritizing registered dietitians and local/regional foods—which can improve management and health outcomes.
Low-income individuals gain reduced food-access barriers through funded transportation and on-site emergency feeding, increasing timely access to nutritious food.
Community organizations and healthcare providers receive $20 million in grants (FY2027–FY2031) to run evidence-based nutrition programs, supporting local service capacity and workforce.
Low-income individuals and patients with chronic conditions may be reached only modestly because the $20 million total over five years is limited, constraining how many programs can be funded and the program scale.
Smaller community-based nonprofits and rural groups risk being disadvantaged because competitive grants tend to favor larger organizations with grant-writing capacity.
People in communities whose programs are not selected receive no federal support under this pilot, leaving geographic and population gaps in access to medically tailored nutrition services.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes a USDA competitive pilot grant program to fund Food is Medicine activities (medically tailored meals, produce prescriptions, cooking training, etc.) and requires outcome reporting.
Official title: To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish and administer a pilot program to provide grants to support Food is Medicine programs, and for other purposes.
Introduced March 12, 2026 by Robin L. Kelly · Last progress March 12, 2026
Creates a competitive pilot grant program to fund "Food is Medicine" interventions that use food and nutrition services to prevent or manage diet-related disease. The Department of Agriculture, working with HHS, must set up the program within two years, prioritize projects that include local foods and registered dietitians, ensure geographic and rural/urban/tribal/territorial balance, track health outcomes, and report to Congress. The bill authorizes $20 million per year across FY2027–FY2031 for the program.