We all know we should eat plenty of produce, and increase our fruit and vegetable intake. A recent study highlights the potential for a nationwide produce prescription program to transform Americans’ health. In particular, the study focused on the rising problem of type 2 diabetes, a condition affecting one in ten individuals. The study reveals that such a program could not only improve health outcomes but also result in significant cost savings.
Public policies urge consumers to eat vegetable and fruit servings totaling 5 a day. The reason? Because this quantity or more can significantly reduce risks of cancer, heart disease, and lung disease. This major impact of diet on health outcomes spurs public health agencies and non-profits to experiment with produce programs.
With produce prescription programs, healthcare providers can identify individuals who need more nutrients and fiber. Barriers are reduced to help those patients make healthier eating choices. For instance, programs may offer free home delivery, farmer’s market coupons, and reduced-cost items. Some of these programs provide vouchers to patients with diet-related health conditions or growing families, allowing them to obtain free or discounted fruits and vegetables from various sources.
According to the US Department of Agriculture, meeting your daily produce requirements costs the average individual a minimum of $2.10 per day. This $63 dollars per month helps them achieve 5 a day, or about 2 cups of chopped fruit and 2.5 cups of diced veggies. 
Physicians are eager to see these programs succeed. And the reason is that all of the top ten most common conditions they treat are based on a poor diet. A doctor’s prescription alone may not be enough to get patients to follow through, because extra elements of support are often necessary. For instance, redemption rates of these vouchers can be surprisingly low; in one study, just 18% of qualifying families chose to receive free produce. Those studies mention that help with basic cooking skills and recipe support may be helpful. And upon programs ending, studies show that most families often return to low vegetable intake as well.
Research into this issue suggests that while no program offers perfect compliance, the best ones offer additional support. These support measures include dietary guidance, cooking tips, videos, and recipes. Programs that include support have higher success rates and the participants enjoyed the experience. “You guys really care about me,” mentioned one participant. Another realized that “there is someone out there that does care that you do better with healthier eating.” Much more than just free produce, these programs upskill, inform, and assist families to make healthier eating achievable.
The potential impact of a national produce prescription program was calculated based on individuals aged 40-79 with both diabetes and food insecurity. The findings reveal that such a program could prevent approximately 296,000 cases of cardiovascular disease. In addition, it could save the healthcare system $39.6 billion and reduce costs of lost productivity by $4.8 billion.
Of course, these programs do have a cost, and in this study, the program is estimated to require an investment of over $44 billion if applied nationwide. This figure includes all expenses for physician screening, providing ongoing food and nutrition education support, and necessary administration.
Now that you’ve seen the price tag, it’s natural to wonder if it’s really worth the cost. The price of this program would be in line with other successful healthcare interventions, such as blood pressure initiatives and cancer screening. These all cost around $18,000 per quality-adjusted life year gained, compared to the cost of new GLP-1 weight loss medications which are around 200,000 per quality-adjusted life year gained. (Yes, the pharmaceutical route carries major costs for treating diet-related diseases!) This indicates that the produce prescription program provides significant health gains at a reasonable cost.
Many states are piloting produce voucher programs using Medicaid section 1115 waivers, and private healthcare payers are also exploring similar approaches. Other progress is being made in the private sector, where businesses and other organizations are partnering with farmers to make healthier food more available to their employers.
In line with fruit and vegetable prescription findings, we know that eating healthier benefits from support. Treo offers a variety of ways to assist our members, including one-on-one support, videos on cooking skills, and recipe cook-along. We also help members reach their health goals with microlearning sessions about the impact of more produce intake. All these combine to support healthier eating.
Our outcomes consistently show that healthier eating choices are among the most dependable outcomes for our members. Interested in seeing how we could help you positively impact your team? Let’s get in touch! Info@treowellness.com
As Treo’s Global Wellness Researcher, Karlie uses recent research findings to support healthier daily habits. Karlie earned her doctorate in Neuroscience and Behavior and bachelors in Health and Exercise Science.
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