This resolution expresses support for designating September 14, 2025, as "National Food is Medicine Day" to promote the use of medically tailored food interventions for managing chronic diseases and improving public health.
Dwight Evans
Representative
PA-3
This resolution expresses strong support for designating September 14, 2025, as "National Food is Medicine Day." It recognizes that integrating medically tailored food and nutrition interventions into healthcare is a promising strategy for preventing and managing chronic diseases while potentially lowering overall healthcare costs. The bill urges the Department of Health and Human Services to fund research and integrate proven "food is medicine" programs into standard care delivery. Ultimately, it calls for collaboration across federal agencies and private partners to expand the effective use of food as a vital component of health treatment.
Congress Backs 'Food is Medicine': Resolution Urges HHS to Fund Research and Integrate Nutrition into Healthcare
This resolution is essentially Congress giving a big thumbs-up to the idea that food can be a powerful medical tool. Specifically, it calls for the designation of September 14, 2025, as "National Food is Medicine Day" and urges federal health agencies to get serious about integrating nutrition into standard medical care.
The core concept here is "Food is Medicine" (FIM): using tailored diets, medically prepared meals, or access to specific groceries—often paired with nutrition education—to help patients manage or even treat chronic illnesses like type 2 diabetes or heart disease. The resolution points out that over 90% of the massive $4.5 trillion the U.S. spends annually on healthcare goes toward chronic conditions, and poor nutrition costs the economy over $1.1 trillion a year in healthcare and lost productivity. The pitch is simple: better food management equals better health outcomes and lower costs down the road.
The Health Department Gets Its Homework
This resolution strongly encourages the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to step up. First, they want HHS to keep funding scientific studies to build the evidence base for FIM programs. You can’t integrate something into healthcare without the data to prove it works and saves money. Second, and this is the big one, it urges HHS to start weaving these food interventions right into how healthcare is delivered. Think less about just treating the symptoms of diabetes with medication, and more about prescribing a specific diet and providing the food needed to manage the condition.
What This Means for Your Doctor’s Office
While this is a non-binding resolution—meaning it doesn't force anyone to spend money or change laws immediately—it signals a clear direction for federal health policy. If HHS follows through, we could see more insurance programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, covering medically tailored meals or produce prescriptions. For the average person managing a chronic condition, this could mean getting practical, tangible help—like a box of healthy groceries or prepared meals—instead of just another prescription bottle.
It also encourages HHS to team up with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This collaboration is key, as it bridges the gap between the healthcare system (HHS) and the food system (USDA). It means potentially coordinating food assistance programs with clinical health goals, creating a more seamless system for people who need both medical care and food support. This is about making sure that if your doctor recommends a low-sodium diet, the food assistance programs you use actually help you get low-sodium items. The resolution is basically telling these big agencies to stop working in silos and start treating food as the powerful health tool it is.