Food as Medicine 2026: The Best and Worst of Times 

By Irene Yeh 

May 8, 2026 | During the opening keynote panel at this week’s Food as Medicine Summit in Chicago, Rick Leach, executive director of the Food as Medicine Initiative at Arizona State University, started off with a quote from Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities” to describe the current climate of the food as medicine industry. 

“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times,” he said. “Just to set the stage, here are things that would evidence the worst of times.” 

Diet-related diseases are a leading cause of death and disability in the United States, with 600,000 people dying every year from a diet-related disease. The statistics do not stop there. One in five children in the U.S. are obese. About 32% of adolescents are prediabetic, and 60% of adults have one or more diet-related illnesses. The U.S. economy is hit with about $1.1 trillion annually due to rising healthcare costs and lost productivity. But importantly, these diet-related diseases and health conditions are destroying families and communities nationwide.  

This is a national crisis, Leach emphasized. However, all of it is completely preventable. 

He moderated the panel, which consisted of four industry experts: Haleta Belai, vice president of Drivers of Health at Centene; Geeta Maker-Clark, M.D., ABOIM, co-director of culinary medicine and clinical assistant professor at the Pritzker School of Medicine and director of integrative nutrition and advocacy at University of Chicago and Endeavor Health; Shreela V. Sharma, Ph.D., professor and vice chair of epidemiology and director of the Center for Health Equity Research at the University Of Texas, Houston; and Jim Thorne, president of Nourish Ventures and senior vice president of partnerships and strategy at Griffith Foods Ltd. Their conversation explored the increasing momentum of the food as medicine movement and how we are also in the best of times for food as medicine.  

Nutrition Education and Knowledge 

In the panel’s view, one of the biggest contributing elements to the current healthcare crisis is that nutrition is not integrated into healthcare. About 87% of doctors do not feel adequately trained to provide guidance to a patient on nutrition. However, the responsibility does not only fall to physicians.  

“The challenges that physicians face are not entirely because we don’t have nutrition education,” said Maker-Clark. “No one physician or even a community of physicians can take care of a patient in a visit or multiple visits because we don’t have the systemic support.” 

This is where food as medicine programs can step in and handle nutrition education for physicians and patients. Maker-Clark mentioned the University of Chicago and Endeavor Health’s program Culinary Medicine as an example. The program teaches nutrition science and the art of cooking with the intent of treating and preventing chronic disease. Currently, about 800 doctors have graduated from the program with kitchen chef training and are now practicing. From orthopedic surgeons to anesthesiologists to family doctors, physicians understand that food is medicine and needs to be discussed with their patients.  

“Medical education transformation is happening very quickly and is something to be really optimistic, hopeful, and supportive about,” added Maker-Clark.  

The program has even expanded to Chicago public schools, where middle school students are taught nutrition education that empowers them to make their own food choices. 

Nonetheless, Maker-Clark encouraged moving on from thinking about nutrition education as an answer to the next level of access. “I still cannot prescribe food to my patients. It’s not part of my electronic medical record system. I don’t have any easy way to get them the foods that we discussed in the clinic to their doorstep and table.” 

Instead, the focus needs to be on equity and accessibility, such as food banks and community sources, to help patients find the resources they need. WIC and SNAP also need to be maintained and expanded instead of shrunken. 

Insurance and Government  

There has been a rise in interest from insurance companies and government programs around food as medicine. As Belai explains, food as medicine is a practical way to transform health outcomes and reduce avoidable healthcare costs. And interest has only continued from the government. 

There is bipartisan interest at both the federal and state government level where people are seeking solutions to address chronic conditions earlier at lower costs. Belai expressed optimism that there is a sense of alignment and consensus around nutrition as a key driver of health on all levels.  

“We’ve seen 15 states put forward food as medicine legislation in the 2026 legislative session. We’ve seen up to 10 states who are using in-law services in managed care to integrate food as medicine as a benefit,” she stated.  

From the perspective of insurance, food as medicine programs can improve health outcomes but need to be structured in a measurable and standardized way before they can be covered as healthcare benefits. Food-based interventions work best when tied to a health goal, such as supporting high-risk pregnancies, managing chronic conditions, or reducing hospital readmissions. Food as medicine programs are also most effective when built directly into existing healthcare processes, such as discharge planning or chronic care management.  

Belai also states that more research is needed to show exactly which populations would most benefit from food as medicine interventions, as well as how long these interventions should last and at what level are they most effective. While the evidence is moving in a positive direction, insurers and government partners still require detailed financial and health outcome data to justify expanding coverage for these programs on a larger scale. 

Higher Demand from Consumers 

According to Thorne, “one of the major trends is this movement towards nutrition consumers.”  

People have been “very clear” that they want high quality, nutrient-dense food and fewer ultra-processed features, such as high sodium and sugar. This is occurring not only in North America, but in the United Kingdom and Europe, where brands are embracing nutrient density and launching products designed to address nutritional needs.  

Thorne noted that GLP-1s are also playing a huge role in nutritional awareness. Oftentimes, a diet or nutrition strategy works in tandem with these weight loss drugs, allowing these medications to act as a catalyst for many patients to start their nutrition journey.  

Leach also mentioned how many patients take these GLP-1s, lose weight, and then regain it faster once they stop taking them, further emphasizing the importance of dietary change to ensure these drugs help patients kick off their diet and nutrition changes and maintain them. 

Addressing Food Insecurity and Sustainable Solutions 

There is a key question that still needs to be addressed: how do we create sustainable solutions to address food insecurity and healthy eating? Not even the nation’s biggest food assistance program, SNAP, is entirely reliable, as it does not have nutrition as part of its mandate.  

To Sharma, there needs to be a human-centered approach and understanding that there is not a “one-size-fits-all” method when it comes to food as medicine. “Different populations need a different approach,” she said.  

Building partnerships between health systems and food as medicine program providers—and then building capacity to do the work—are what will drive things forward. Once these pieces are merged together, the next step is implementing it for the patient population. The actuarial value needs to be addressed.  

“Where do we want to end in regards to having food as medicine as part of alternative payment models for managed care organizations? What do legislators and policymakers need to move the needle forward in regards to policy, whether it’s the bills or policy implementation as well?” Sharma asked. 

To get to the “promised land,” managed care organizations must be at the table with their actuaries. In establishing the right outcomes, there needs to be further research and then designing the work, as well as thinking about implementation and health outcomes. If implementation is not as planned, then the outcomes are not going to get the desired results. Once the implementation outcomes are figured out and strengthened, then that is when the discussion of whether or not there is an impact can be had.  

Ensuring Affordability 

As ideas and strategies are being developed, Maker-Clark urged the audience to remember affordability. “Most people cannot afford healthy food right now and haven’t been able to for a long time.”  

Community partners—including food banks, community gardens, community centers, and faith-based organizations—have ensured that people can get nutritional food to the people who need them, but they cannot be the only ones fulfilling this role. 

“People need a livable wage,” Maker-Clark argued. “Food is the backbone of health. Food is how the entire medical system was brought up and grown.” 

Sharma supported this by explaining that employers benefit more if they provide their employees with food security and nutrition, stating that it is a way to show employees that they are cared for, as well as provide an opportunity to save potential healthcare costs down the line. She gave a call to action for employers to invest in these types of efforts to build trust and loyalty and take care of their employees. 

Leach also agreed, mentioning how companies that have integrated food as medicine strategies into employee health and wellness programs have seen decreased healthcare costs and increased productivity. Furthermore, it may benefit the hiring and retention rates. 

“We don’t need to reinvent the wheel; things are rolling. We just need to bring it all together and share it,” he said.