Essential: A Food is Medicine Podcast

What will it take to make Food is Medicine a permanent part of healthcare? In the final episode of the first season of Essential: A Food is Medicine Podcast, host Alissa Wassung sits down with Erika Hanson of the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation at Harvard Law School to explore the future of Food is Medicine and the policies needed to sustain its momentum. 

They discuss how to move beyond short-term pilots toward lasting healthcare coverage, the importance of sustainable funding, and how initiatives like the Medically Tailored Meals Pilot Bill and Sustainability Blueprint are helping build a future where nutrition is recognized as an essential healthcare service.

Along the way, you'll hear from James, a client of accredited medically tailored meal provider Meals on Wheels People in Portland, Oregon, Dr. Kurt Hager, who shares additional research on healthcare outcomes and coverage challenges, and Jule Anne Henstenburg of MANNA, who closes the series with a powerful "Moment of Why."

Essential is a four-part podcast series from the Food is Medicine Coalition exploring why medically tailored nutrition is an essential part of healthcare.

Podcast speakers: 

Alissa Wassung – Executive Director, Food is Medicine Coalition  

Erika Hanson, JD – Former Clinical Instructor at the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation at Harvard Law School 

Dr. Kurt Hager – Assistant Professor, Population & Quantitative Health Sciences, UMass Chan Medical School   

James – Meals on Wheels People Client 

Dr. Jule Anne Henstenburg – Director of the MANNA Institute, MANNA 

Research Articles: 

1. Hager, K., Alcusky, M., Zhang, F.F. et al. Medically tailored meals receipt and healthcare utilization and costs in Massachusetts’ Medicaid demonstration. Nat Med (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-026-04407-5 
2. Hager K, Berkowitz SA. The Future of Nutrition Interventions in Medicaid. JAMA Intern Med. 2026;186(4):398–400. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.7194  

FIMC Resources:

About FIMC:  https://fimcoalition.org/about-fimc/ 

Client Stories: https://fimcoalition.org/food-is-medicine-stories/  

Donate to FIMC: https://pro.gofundme.com/give/567133#!/donation/checkout  

Find a FIMC Agency: https://fimcoalition.org/find-agency/ - Nearly fifty nonprofits are members of the coalition and collectively delivered millions of meals and meal equivalents to individuals last year. Find services using the link above. 

MANNA (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania): https://mannapa.org/ 

MANNA Institute: https://mannapa.org/mannainstitute/ 

Meals on Wheels People (Portland, Oregon): https://www.mowp.org/  

Policy: https://fimcoalition.org/policy/ 

Medically Tailored Meal Sustainability Blueprint - This first-of-its-kind national framework is designed to guide the integration of medically tailored meals into the U.S. healthcare system. Developed with input from a cross-sector advisory group, the Blueprint addresses key legal and regulatory questions that will help MTMs to transition from grant-funded pilots to sustainable healthcare coverage.  

Food is Medicine: State Medicaid Policy Toolkit - FIMC partnered with the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation of Harvard Law School to create a comprehensive guide of existing State Medicaid authorities to leverage increased access to food is medicine (FIM) services. The tool is geared towards policymakers but can be utilized by all in the food is medicine field to increase access to these lifesaving services. 

The Medically Tailored Home-Delivered Meals Demonstration Pilot Act will save money and save lives by expanding access to MTMs. The bill would expand access to medically tailored meals by creating a Medicare pilot to address the link between diet, chronic diseases, and the health of Medicare enrollees and people with disabilities. Currently, there is no coverage for MTMs in traditional Medicare at all. The pilot will operate in at least 40 hospitals and provide MTMs post hospital discharge to Medicare beneficiaries with certain chronic health conditions for a minimum of 12 weeks, at least twice a day, and include nutrition counseling, education, and/or medical nutrition therapy. The goal of the pilot is to evaluate the impact of the MTM intervention on health care utilization, clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, and overall health care expenditures for Medicare beneficiaries living with certain diet-sensitive chronic health conditions following in-patient hospitalization. We are so grateful to the food is medicine champions and cosponsors of the bill Representatives James McGovern (D-MA), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Dwight Evans (D-PA), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and Tina Smith (D-MN).  

Research: https://fimcoalition.org/research/  

Published Research: More than 20 published studies have examined the impact of FIMC agency-delivered MTM and MTG services on health outcomes, healthcare savings, and patient satisfaction. In 2025 alone, three Randomized Controlled Trials evaluating intervention effectiveness among people living with HIV, Type 2 Diabetes, and high-risk pregnancies receiving FIMC interventions were published.   

Research In Process: An additional 30 research studies of varying methodologies are currently underway in partnership with FIMC agencies, investigating the impact of MTM and MTG services on priority populations. Explore FIMC authored resources and priorities developed with other leaders in the field currently underway. 

Healthcare Resources:  https://fimcoalition.org/healthcare/healthcare-resources/ 

FIMC released a new resource, Food is Medicine Interventions Lower Costly Healthcare Utilization in States, which examines evaluations of real-world programs in North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Maryland. Studies found that sustained access to food is medicine interventions leads to lower healthcare utilization and reduced costs over time. The largest cost-savings are seen among the highest-acuity, highest-cost patients, which MTM and MTG programs are explicitly designed for.  

Many FIMC agencies have Medicaid partnerships in various states. They also have partnerships with Medicare Advantage plans, supplying post-discharge meals and ongoing nutrition support: https://fimcoalition.org/healthcare/healthcare-innovation/  

The Food is Medicine Coalition (FIMC) is the national coalition of nonprofit organizations that provide medically tailored meals (MTMs) and groceries (MTGs), medical nutrition therapy and nutrition counseling and education to people in communities across the country living with severe, complex and chronic conditions. We advance access to these life-saving interventions through policy change, research and evaluation, and best practices. FIMC agencies created the MTM intervention forty years ago as a response to community need during the HIV epidemic. FIMC offers a community of learning for existing practitioners, equips new organizations to launch medically tailored meal programs, and accredits agencies against our fieldwide standards. FIMC agencies created the medically tailored meal (MTM) intervention forty years ago as a response to community need during the HIV epidemic.   

What makes a medically tailored meal different from simply eating healthy? In the third episode of Essential: A Food is Medicine Podcast, host Alissa Wassung of the Food is Medicine Coalition sits down with Laura Samnadda, RDN, Director of Nutrition Services at Open Hand Atlanta, to explore the science behind medically tailored meals and why quality standards are essential to delivering nutrition as a healthcare intervention. They discuss how meals are designed to meet individual medical needs, the important role of registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs), and how the Food is Medicine Coalition's accreditation standards are helping ensure consistent, high-quality care.

Along the way, you'll hear from Ammy, an Open Hand client who shares how medically tailored meals have supported her through cancer treatment, providing not only essential nutrition but also comfort, convenience and the joy of enjoying food again.

Essential is a four-part podcast series from the Food is Medicine Coalition exploring why medically tailored nutrition is an essential part of healthcare.

Podcast Speakers: 

Alissa Wassung – Executive Director, Food is Medicine Coalition 

Laura Samnadda, RDN – Director of Nutrition Services, Open Hand Atlanta 

Marti Macchi – President and CEO, Project Angel Heart 

Ammy - Open Hand Atlanta Client 

About FIMC:  https://fimcoalition.org/about-fimc/ 

Client Stories: https://fimcoalition.org/food-is-medicine-stories/ 

Medically Tailored Meals Definition: https://fimcoalition.org/about-fimc/our-model/ 

A Medically Tailored Meal (MTM) is a component of the MTM Intervention. MTMs are meals delivered to individuals of all ages who live with severe, chronic, or complex illness(es) and/or experience activities of daily living limitations, as deemed necessary by a healthcare professional and defined in the Food is Medicine Coalition (FIMC) MTM Accreditation Criteria and Requirements. A Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) tailors meal plans to meet the medical needs of the client according to the FIMC Nutrition Standards. MTMs are designed to improve health outcomes, lower cost of care and increase client satisfaction. 

Find a FIMC Agency: https://fimcoalition.org/find-agency/ - Nearly fifty nonprofits are members of the coalition and collectively delivered millions of meals and meal equivalents to individuals last year. Find services using the link above and check out the websites of our agencies highlighted on this episode: 

Open Hand Atlanta: https://www.openhandatlanta.org/  

Project Angel Heart: https://www.projectangelheart.org/  

FIMC Programs  

FIMC Accelerator: We equip nonprofits to launch new medically tailored meal programs in areas not currently served. The focused, 6-month training program refines, replicates, and scales the MTM model with nonprofit community-based organizations in new geographies. To date, we have graduated 27 new MTM providers. 

FIMC Membership: We support a diverse community of existing practitioners in delivering responsive medically tailored nutrition services. We build capacity through a variety of technical assistance and capacity building programs and committees. Members also unite in national advocacy to expand access to the MTM intervention, promote research and best practices.  

FIMC Accreditation: We audit and accredit medically tailored meal agencies against a standard to ensure fidelity to the high quality MTM intervention. Accreditation is central to scaling and equity of access across the country. FIMC agencies are currently leading the standards development process for the Medically Tailored Grocery intervention. 

The Food is Medicine Coalition (FIMC) is the national coalition of nonprofit organizations that provide medically tailored meals (MTMs) and groceries (MTGs), medical nutrition therapy and nutrition counseling and education to people in communities across the country living with severe, complex and chronic conditions. We advance access to these life-saving interventions through policy change, research and evaluation, and best practices. FIMC agencies created the MTM intervention forty years ago as a response to community need during the HIV epidemic. FIMC offers a community of learning for existing practitioners, equips new organizations to launch medically tailored meal programs, and accredits agencies against our fieldwide standards. FIMC agencies created the medically tailored meal (MTM) intervention forty years ago as a response to community need during the HIV epidemic.   

If food is medicine, how do we make it part of healthcare? In this episode of Essential: A Food is Medicine Podcast, host Alissa Wassung sits down with Dorella Walters of God's Love We Deliver in New York, an accredited medically tailored meal provider, to explore how community-based organizations have led the Food is Medicine movement—and how they're helping integrate medically tailored nutrition into the healthcare system. They discuss the importance of healthcare partnerships, what it means to speak healthcare's language, and why keeping patients at the center of care is essential.

Along the way, you'll hear from Tim, who shares how medically tailored meals from accredited provider Meals on Wheels People in Oregon have helped him manage complex health conditions, and Kate Johnston of accredited medically tailored meal provider Project Angel Heart, who discusses an innovative pilot program in Colorado bringing healthcare and community partners together to provide nutrition support that evolves with patients' needs.

Essential is a podcast series from the Food is Medicine Coalition exploring why medically tailored nutrition is an essential part of healthcare.

Podcast Speakers: 

Alissa Wassung – Executive Director, Food is Medicine Coalition 

Dorella Walters – Chief Program Development Officer, God’s Love We Deliver 

Kate Johnston – Chief Operating Officer, Project Angel Heart 

George Bednar – Chief Operating Officer, Food & Friends 

Tim – Client from Meals on Wheels People 

About FIMC:  https://fimcoalition.org/about-fimc/ 

Client Stories:https://fimcoalition.org/food-is-medicine-stories/ 

Medically Tailored Meals Definition:https://fimcoalition.org/about-fimc/our-model/ 

A Medically Tailored Meal (MTM) is a component of the MTM Intervention. MTMs are meals delivered to individuals of all ages who live with severe, chronic, or complex illness(es) and/or experience activities of daily living limitations, as deemed necessary by a healthcare professional and defined in the Food is Medicine Coalition (FIMC) MTM Accreditation Criteria and Requirements. A Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) tailors meal plans to meet the medical needs of the client according to the FIMC Nutrition Standards. MTMs are designed to improve health outcomes, lower cost of care and increase client satisfaction. 

Find a FIMC Agency: https://fimcoalition.org/find-agency/- Nearly fifty nonprofits are members of the coalition and collectively delivered millions of meals and meal equivalents to individuals last year. Find services using the link above. 

God’s Love We Deliver (New York, New York): https://www.glwd.org/  

Project Angel Heart (Denver, Colorado): https://www.projectangelheart.org/  

Food & Friends (Washington, DC): https://foodandfriends.org/  

Meals on Wheels People (Portland, Oregon): https://www.mowp.org/  

FIMC Healthcare Resources: https://fimcoalition.org/healthcare/healthcare-resources/ 

Medically Tailored Meal Sustainability Blueprint - This first-of-its-kind national framework is designed to guide the integration of medically tailored meals into the U.S. healthcare system. Developed with input from a cross-sector advisory group, the Blueprint addresses key legal and regulatory questions that will help MTMs to transition from grant-funded pilots to sustainable healthcare coverage.  

FIMC released a new resource, Food is Medicine Interventions Lower Costly Healthcare Utilization in States, which examines evaluations of real-world programs in North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Maryland. Studies found that sustained access to food is medicine interventions leads to lower healthcare utilization and reduced costs over time. The largest cost-savings are seen among the highest-acuity, highest-cost patients, which MTM and MTG programs are explicitly designed for.  

Many FIMC agencies have Medicaid partnerships in various states. They also have partnerships with Medicare Advantage plans, supplying post-discharge meals and ongoing nutrition support: https://fimcoalition.org/healthcare/healthcare-innovation/  

FIMC Programs  

FIMC Accelerator: We equip nonprofits to launch new medically tailored meal programs in areas not currently served. The focused, 6-month training program refines, replicates, and scales the MTM model with nonprofit community-based organizations in new geographies. To date, we have graduated 27 new MTM providers. 

FIMC Membership: We support a diverse community of existing practitioners in delivering responsive medically tailored nutrition services. We build capacity through a variety of technical assistance and capacity building programs and committees. Members also unite in national advocacy to expand access to the MTM intervention, promote research and best practices.  

FIMC Accreditation: We audit and accredit medically tailored meal agencies against a standard to ensure fidelity to the high quality MTM intervention. Accreditation is central to scaling and equity of access across the country. FIMC agencies are currently leading the standards development process for the Medically Tailored Grocery intervention. 

The Food is Medicine Coalition (FIMC) is the national coalition of nonprofit organizations that provide medically tailored meals (MTMs) and groceries (MTGs), medical nutrition therapy and nutrition counseling and education to people in communities across the country living with severe, complex and chronic conditions. We advance access to these life-saving interventions through policy change, research and evaluation, and best practices. FIMC agencies created the MTM intervention forty years ago as a response to community need during the HIV epidemic. FIMC offers a community of learning for existing practitioners, equips new organizations to launch medically tailored meal programs, and accredits agencies against our fieldwide standards. FIMC agencies created the medically tailored meal (MTM) intervention forty years ago as a response to community need during the HIV epidemic.   

What does the research really tell us about the connection between nutrition and health? In the first episode of Essential: A Food is Medicine Podcast, host Alissa Wassung from the Food is Medicine Coalition sits down with researcher Dr. Kurt Hager to explore the growing evidence behind Food is Medicine interventions, including medically tailored meals. They discuss what studies are showing about health outcomes, hospitalizations and healthcare costs—and why nutrition deserves a place in healthcare.

Along the way, you’ll hear from Jules, a Community Servings client who received medically tailored meals while managing gestational diabetes during pregnancy and postpartum.

Essential is a four-part podcast series from the Food is Medicine Coalition exploring why medically tailored nutrition is an essential part of healthcare.

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Podcast Speakers: 

Dr. Kurt Hager – Assistant Professor, Population & Quantitative Health Sciences, UMass Chan Medical School  

Alissa Wassung – Executive Director, Food is Medicine Coalition 

Jules - Community Servings Client 

Rebecca Kahn– Director of Nutrition Services, Food & Friends 

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Research Articles: 

1. Hager K, Cudhea FP, Wong JB, et al. Association of National Expansion of Insurance Coverage of Medically Tailored Meals With Estimated Hospitalizations and Health Care Expenditures in the US. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(10):e2236898. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.36898 
2. Deng, S., Hager, K., Wang, L., Cudhea, F. P., Wong, J. B., Kim, D. D., & Mozaffarian, D. (2025). Estimated Impact Of Medically Tailored Meals On Health Care Use And Expenditures In 50 US States. Health affairs (Project Hope), 44(4), 433–442. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2024.01307 
3. Hager, K., Alcusky, M., Zhang, F. F., Sing, G., Ash, A., Mick, E., Terranova, J., DiBacco, E., Buckler, S., Rich, A., Bowman, J., Folta, S., Prendergast, K., Frank, J., Ball, C., Chiang, J. S., & Mozaffarian, D. (2026). Medically tailored meals receipt and healthcare utilization and costs in Massachusetts' Medicaid demonstration. Nature medicine, 32(6), 2147–2154. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-026-04407-5 
4. Hager K, Berkowitz SA. The Future of Nutrition Interventions in Medicaid. JAMA Intern Med. 2026;186(4):398–400. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.7194 
5. Clark, J. M., Maw, M. T. T., Pettway, K., Chander, G., Elias, S., Zisow-McClean, S., Maruthur, N. M., & Greer, R. C. (2025). Impact of Medically Tailored Meals on Clinical Outcomes Among Low-Income Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: A Pilot Randomized Trial. Journal of general internal medicine, 40(8), 1711–1719. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-024-09248-x   

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FIMC Resources 

• About FIMC: https://fimcoalition.org/about-fimc/ 
• Client Stories: https://fimcoalition.org/food-is-medicine-stories/ 
• Find a FIMC Agency: https://fimcoalition.org/find-agency/ - Nearly fifty nonprofits are members of the coalition and collectively delivered millions of meals and meal equivalents to individuals last year. Find services using the link above. 

Medically Tailored Meals Definition: https://fimcoalition.org/about-fimc/our-model/ 

• A Medically Tailored Meal (MTM) is a component of the MTM Intervention. MTMs are meals delivered to individuals of all ages who live with severe, chronic, or complex illness(es) and/or experience activities of daily living limitations, as deemed necessary by a healthcare professional and defined in the Food is Medicine Coalition (FIMC) MTM Accreditation Criteria and Requirements. A Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) tailors meal plans to meet the medical needs of the client according to the FIMC Nutrition Standards. MTMs are designed to improve health outcomes, lower cost of care and increase client satisfaction. 

Research: https://fimcoalition.org/research/  

• Published Research: More than 20 published studies have examined the impact of FIMC agency-delivered MTM and MTG services on health outcomes, healthcare savings, and patient satisfaction.   
• Research In Process: An additional 30 research studies of varying methodologies are currently underway in partnership with FIMC agencies, investigating the impact of MTM and MTG services on priority populations.  
• FIMC’s new resource Food is Medicine Interventions Lower Costly Healthcare Utilization in States examines evaluations of real-world programs in North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Maryland. Studies found that sustained access to food is medicine interventions leads to lower healthcare utilization and reduced costs over time. The largest cost-savings are seen among the highest-acuity, highest-cost patients, which MTM and MTG programs are explicitly designed for.  

The Food is Medicine Coalition (FIMC) is the national coalition of nonprofit organizations that provide medically tailored meals (MTMs) and groceries (MTGs), medical nutrition therapy and nutrition counseling and education to people in communities across the country living with severe, complex and chronic conditions. We advance access to these life-saving interventions through policy change, research and evaluation, and best practices. FIMC agencies created the MTM intervention forty years ago as a response to community need during the HIV epidemic. FIMC offers a community of learning for existing practitioners, equips new organizations to launch medically tailored meal programs, and accredits agencies against our fieldwide standards. FIMC agencies created the medically tailored meal (MTM) intervention forty years ago as a response to community need during the HIV epidemic.   

Food is Medicine services are not a "nice to have," but essential components of healthcare. Our new podcast, Essential: A Food is Medicine Podcast, explains why.

This four-part first season features voices from across healthcare, nutrition, policy, research and community organizations who are helping redefine how we think about food, chronic illness and care. 

Listen to the teaser episode and subscribe for upcoming conversations.

Voices featured in this trailer:

Alissa Wassung, Executive Director, Food is Medicine Coalition

Kurt Hager, PhD, MS, Assistant Professor, Population & Quantitative Health Sciences, UMass Chan Medical School

Laura Samnadda MS, RDN, LD, Director of Nutrition Services, Open Hand Atlanta

Ammy Villafane, Client of Open Hand Atlanta

The Food is Medicine Coalition (FIMC) is the national coalition of nonprofit organizations that provide medically tailored meals (MTMs) and groceries (MTGs), medical nutrition therapy and nutrition counseling and education to people in communities across the country living with severe, complex and chronic conditions. We advance access to these life-saving interventions through policy change, research and evaluation, and best practices. FIMC agencies created the MTM intervention forty years ago as a response to community need during the HIV epidemic. FIMC offers a community of learning for existing practitioners, equips new organizations to launch medically tailored meal programs, and accredits agencies against our fieldwide standards. FIMC agencies created the medically tailored meal (MTM) intervention forty years ago as a response to community need during the HIV epidemic.