In a similar program, a Waco, Texas, organization called World Hunger Relief is providing free boxes of vegetables to low-income families at three family health centers in the city. The organization also operates Veggie Vans, which bring discounted produce to areas that don’t have good supermarkets nearby.
“For years we’ve been instructing patients to eat healthier in order to help prevent disease or to treat existing disease, but haven’t had the option to immediately gain access to that healthy food,” Jackson Griggs, M.D., a Waco physician taking part in the program, told the Waco Tribune-Herald. “Through the prescription program, we’ve been able to eliminate barriers to having access.”
Langholtz said her organization is encouraged by efforts around the country to make healthy eating more affordable. Food banks are working to offer more produce and not just nonperishable items, she said, and Wholesome Wave is launching a program called Practically Perfect to distribute produce that may be blemished or flawed but is still edible and healthy.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do, but we’re seeing a real impact,” she said.
Carson said the concept of prescription produce is appealing, if you don’t take it too literally. Replacing unhealthy foods with more fruits and vegetables can help control weight, lower blood pressure, perhaps even ward off some medications.
“But we don’t want the public to get the impression that it’s the broccoli or the mushroom or any one thing that makes a difference, so you don’t have to worry about what else you do,” she said. “It’s about how it all fits on your plate.”