FOOD for Health Act
Food is Medicine: New Grants for Healthy Food as Healthcare
To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish and administer a pilot program to provide grants to support Food is Medicine programs, and for other purposes.
This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process and has been sent to the House Committees on Agriculture and Energy and Commerce for review. It is actively moving through the initial committee phase, but no further hearings or votes have been scheduled yet.
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- This bill creates a $20 million pilot program to fund "Food is Medicine" projects across the country. These projects treat healthy food as a key part of medical care for people with long-term health conditions.
- Local groups and health clinics can use the grants to provide services like home-delivered groceries, "produce prescriptions" for fresh fruits and vegetables, and meals specifically designed for a patient's medical needs.
- The program focuses on helping people with diet-related illnesses, such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. It also includes support for people dealing with mental health issues like depression or anxiety.
- The money can also be used for practical help, like teaching people how to cook healthy meals, providing nutrition advice from experts, and paying for transportation to help patients reach these programs.
- The government will track the results over several years to see if providing healthy food helps patients get better and if it saves money on other medical bills in the long run.
Impact Analysis
Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.
Milestones
Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
News
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Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish and administer a pilot program to provide grants to support Food is Medicine programs, and for other purposes.
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
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