Expressing support for the designation of September 14, 2025, as "National Food is Medicine Day".
This is a non-binding House resolution (H. Res. 712) introduced in the 119th Congress. It expresses support for designating September 14, 2025, as “National Food is Medicine Day.” The resolution frames nutritious food as a health care tool and supports the broader concept of food being used alongside medical treatment to prevent, manage, and treat certain health conditions. It urges the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to sustain and expand scientific research on food-as-medicine, to collaborate with the Department of Agriculture (USDA), and to scale appropriate food-is-medicine interventions in partnership with patients, non-profit groups, private industry, healthcare providers, and payors. As a symbolic measure, it does not create new laws, funding, or mandatory programs, but signals legislative support for integrating nutrition into healthcare and public health policy.
Key Points
- 1Designation: Expresses support for designating September 14, 2025, as “National Food is Medicine Day.”
- 2Concept and scope: Highlights that nutritious food can be an effective component of health care, including medically tailored meals, groceries, and produce, combined with nutrition and culinary education as part of a patient’s treatment plan.
- 3Cost and burden context: Argues that food-as-medicine can be cost-effective and may reduce disease burden, noting that chronic diseases drive a large share of health care spending and productivity losses related to diet and food insecurity.
- 4Research and evidence base: Urges HHS to sustain and expand scientific research on food as medicine to build an evidence base for its cost-effectiveness, clinical impact, and operational feasibility across diverse populations.
- 5Collaboration and scaling: Urges HHS to collaborate with USDA and to scale appropriate use of food-is-medicine in partnership with patients, non-profit and private-healthcare practitioners, providers, and payors.