Missouri Food is Medicine Coalition
Missouri Food is Medicine Coalition Organizes to Build Health and Family Farms
A new statewide coalition bringing together leaders from healthcare, agriculture, food access, and community development is taking shape to help Missouri improve health outcomes while creating new economic opportunities for Missouri farmers and food businesses.
Convened by Missouri community development corporation New Growth, the emerging Missouri Food is Medicine Coalition includes more than 90 organizations and individuals working to build a statewide strategy that connects healthcare with good nutrition and healthful products from local farm and food businesses. The coalition will support implementation of Food is Medicine initiatives, promote collaboration across sectors, and ensure Missouri patients have greater access to quality, locally produced foods as part of their care.
Food is Medicine programs recognize nutritious food as an important component of healthcare. Depending on a patient's medical needs, these services may include prescriptions for fresh fruits and vegetables, medically tailored groceries, or medically tailored meals, along with nutrition education, to help people manage chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.
Missouri Momentum.
The coalition's formation comes as Missouri policymakers have shown growing bipartisan interest in Food is Medicine. Earlier this year, Governor Mike Kehoe signed legislation that authorizes MO HealthNet to pursue Food is Medicine opportunities for Medicaid participants. Coalition members believe it creates an important opportunity to design programs that improve health while also strengthening Missouri communities with new markets for farms and food businesses.
"Missouri has an opportunity to improve health outcomes and invest in local economies at the same time," said Katie Nixon, Food Systems Director at New Growth. "When healthcare providers can connect patients with nutritious food grown and produced in Missouri whenever possible, healthcare dollars work twice—improving health while supporting the farmers, food businesses, and rural communities that make healthy food available."
Health Benefits.
Research suggests the potential health benefits are substantial. Over 10 years, providing produce prescriptions to food-insecure Missourians with diabetes who are covered by Medicaid, Medicare, or private insurance could prevent an estimated 1,610 cardiovascular events and generate approximately $101 million in net healthcare saving. Studies also estimate that medically tailored meals for people with diet-sensitive conditions could prevent more than 5,200 hospitalizations annually in Missouri, saving an average of $2,562 per participant and producing an estimated $647 million in annual net healthcare savings.
Economic Benefits.
Coalition members also emphasize that where Food is Medicine dollars are spent matters. National research demonstrates that prioritizing local and regional food procurement allows healthcare investments to generate economic benefits beyond improved patient outcomes. Every dollar spent on locally produced food creates an estimated $1.32 to $1.90 in local economic activity as farmers and food businesses purchase supplies, hire workers, and reinvest in their communities. Local food is medicine purchasing will also contribute to family farm business development as operations grow to meet this healthcare demand for wholesome food.
If Missouri intentionally incorporates local and regional food sourcing into future Food is Medicine programs, researchers estimate the state could generate as much as $69 million in new revenue for Missouri farmers, increase state gross domestic product by more than $900 million, and support approximately 6,500 jobs through the resulting economic activity.
Next Steps.
Over the coming months, the Missouri Food is Medicine Coalition will establish a permanent statewide organization, develop policy recommendations, identify best practices for integrating nutrition into healthcare, and recommend approaches to sourcing from farmers and community food producers in Missouri. The resulting Missouri Food is Medicine State Plan will reflect the needs of healthcare providers, patients, farmers, food businesses, and community partners.
Organizations interested in participating in the Missouri Food is Medicine Coalition are encouraged to contact New Growth to learn more about joining the statewide effort. Email: info@newgrowthmo.org.
SOURCES
Shuyue Deng et al., Estimated Impact of Medically Tailored Meals on Health Care Use and Expenditures In 50 US States, 44 Health Affairs 4, 433-442 (2025).
Lu Wang et al., Health and Economic Impact and Cost-effectiveness of Produce Prescriptions for Diabetes in 50 U.S. States: A Microsimulation Study, 48(10) Diabetes Care 1783 (2025).
Heather Latino et al., Maximizing the Impact of Nutrition Interventions with Local Food Procurement (July 2025).
NC State Extension, Local Food Systems: Clarifying Current Research (2023).
The Rockefeller Foundation, From Farm to FIM State Snapshot, Missouri (Mar. 2026).