Delaware – Governor Matt Meyer has announced the formation of the Delaware Food is Medicine Committee, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at shifting the state’s healthcare focus from treatment to prevention through nutrition. This new effort aims to integrate food as part of the medical treatment process to help improve health outcomes, especially for underserved populations. The committee will operate under the Delaware Council on Farm & Food Policy and will concentrate on three primary objectives: health equity, healthcare cost savings, and economic growth. Lt. Gov. Kyle Evans Gay, who will chair the committee, emphasized the importance of ensuring all Delawareans have access to nutritious meals to prevent and manage chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease. By targeting low-income and high-risk communities, the committee hopes to expand access to Food is Medicine programs, which could potentially reduce hospital visits and Medicaid spending by addressing diet-related health issues. Additionally, the committee aims to stimulate economic growth by supporting local farmers and food businesses. The committee will consult successful models from states like Massachusetts, North Carolina, and California, as well as research from institutions such as Tufts University’s Food is Medicine Institute. Their work will align with national health initiatives like the American Heart Association’s Health Care by Food program.
