The Food is Medicine movement originators are trying to standardize medically tailored meals Nicholas Florko By Nicholas Florko March 27, 2024

https://www.statnews.com/2024/03/27/food-is-medicine-medically-tailored-meals-standard/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=300173672&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--d_iZMW9ygHG3aSmD5SaU7WepvQFP8PzVbYffS8LDtaWP6J_SwqC-JKkjv2YAkhfuVPNanJbro4A4eFzYk-EJcbI8DHg&utm_content=300173672&utm_source=hs_email Food as medicine makes intuitive sense. Eating better can help treat certain medical conditions, including HIV and heart failure. The trick is how to define what constitutes a medically tailored meal. To fill that gap, the Food is Medicine Coalition, a group of community-based nonprofit food providers, released its accreditation standard yesterday, sharing it first with STAT’s Nicholas Florko. Some requirements: Organizations must have one accredited full-time dietitian on staff for every 1,000 clients they serve. No foods with artificial sweeteners, preservatives, or anything “ultra-processed.” Foods must be cooked in a way that “preserves the nutrient value of the food,” such as “baking, braising, and sautéing rather than frying.” The new standards were crafted to head off dilution of its goal — by commercial meal providers, among others — to become as much a part of health care as drugs and medical devices. Nick has more, including some pushback.