Montana News
'Prescription produce program' aims to help Montanans in need of special diets
More than half of Montana households have members with health conditions requiring special diets, according to the Montana Food Bank Network. A growing nonprofit network is developing a "prescription produce program" to help Montanans use food as medicine.
- Duration:
- 1m
- Broadcast on:
- 23 Sep 2024
- Audio Format:
- mp3
With Montana News, I'm Elinor Smith. More than half of Montana households have members with health conditions requiring special diets, according to the Montana Food Bank Network. MTPR's Austin Amistoy reports a growing nonprofit network helps Montanans use food as medicine. The idea of a food prescription is similar to a medical one. Fresh produce helps patients with chronic conditions like diabetes stay healthy. The first-ever food RX summit in Missoula brought leaders of prescription-produced programs under one roof to swap ideas and discuss ways to connect Montanans with healthy food. Land to Hand Montana runs one of those programs in the Flathead Valley. Coordinator Mara Schradl says the number of families they're serving swelled by 250 percent since 2022. "Really, it tells us that the need is greater than we could ever meet, right? Like we have to realize we're going to need a national push. Which is why this collaborative is so exciting." Here's how it works. Doctors connect patients with dietary needs to a food prescription program. Then patients can redeem vouchers and gift cards for free produce at grocery stores or farmers markets. The summit is a milestone for food prescription work in the state, says organizer Bridget McDonald. "Having the ability to all connect in person is really going to facilitate a lot of change and also excitement. I think that people all coming together who share a passion, it will be a big jump forward." A 2021 Harvard Report identified one food prescription program in Montana at the time. State health officials say there are now more than 10. Reporting in Missoula, I'm Austin Amastoy.