The Milken Institute recently released a report positioning employers as key allies in advancing food-based solutions to improve employee health and well-being. The blueprint highlights the growing economic burden of diet-related chronic diseases and offers strategies for workplace interventions that prioritize nutrition as a tool for prevention and care.
The “A Blueprint for Employer-Led Food as Health Strategies“ report is part of the Institute’s Feeding Change initiative and marks the third in a series exploring the intersection of food, finance, and health.
According to research from the U.S. Burden of Disease Collaboration, poor diet is the leading cause of death and disability in the United States, with diet-related chronic diseases resulting in 1 million deaths per year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that half of all adults in the U.S. have one or more preventable chronic diseases—including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and some cancers.
Research from the Tufts University Food is Medicine Institute reveals that failing to address poor nutrition costs the economy US$1.1 trillion per year in lost productivity and healthcare expenses.
“The timing of Feeding Change’s new blueprint is essential, as employers are searching for a step-by-step guide to integrating food as health strategies to combat the chronic disease epidemic and support the wellbeing of their employees, communities, and beyond,” Holly Freishtat, Senior Director of Feeding Change at the Milken Institute, tells Food Tank.
The report emphasizes that improving employee well-being is in the best interest of employers. Employer-sponsored health insurance (ESI) is the primary form of coverage in the U.S.–analysis conducted by the Commonwealth Fund finds that ESI covers 63 percent of working-age U.S. adults. Despite steadily rising healthcare costs, a lack of improved health outcomes has prompted employers to explore new solutions to engage employees and improve whole-person health via food and nutrition.
In addition, the report encourages employers to consider their employees holistically, viewing food as health strategies as an essential component of creative, impactful well-being in the workplace. To achieve this, the blueprint offers employers step-by-step guidance on selecting nutrition programs that align with employee needs and organizational goals. Examples include produce prescriptions, nutrition education and counseling, workplace teaching kitchens, and subsidized grocery delivery.
These examples of food as health solutions originate from the growing Food is Medicine (FIM) or Food as Medicine (FAM) movement that aims to integrate food-based wellness into the traditional healthcare industry. The report argues that “food as health strategies can complement traditional health-care services,” especially by focusing “on the whole person by restoring health, promoting resilience, and preventing diseases across the lifespan” rather than just treating specific conditions.
Structured around three key phases—design, activate, and evaluate—the report draws on industry research, case studies, and real-world partnership opportunities to help employers understand how food as health strategies could add value to their organization in achievable, measurable ways. One section of the report analyzes each proposed food-as-health strategy, defining it and noting primary benefits employees will experience. For example, the report highlights how offering nutrition education and counseling programs affects workplace morale, rates of health-care utilization, and employee chronic disease. To gauge program success, it recommends sample metrics and data sources–including sick days and clinical lab data—to assess return on investment.
The authors also note key U.S. laws and healthcare regulations that employers should consider when developing workplace food programs, pointing to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) as an example.
The federal law safeguards individuals’ health information and prohibits discrimination based on preexisting health conditions. And if an employer wants to offer food benefits targeting specific disease states—like diabetes—they must partner with a third party to ensure employees can receive care without revealing sensitive medical information.
The report rejects the idea that there is a single solution that will be a fit for every workplace. By providing ways to determine the needs of an employee population and an array of potential health strategies, the guide emphasizes the importance of flexibility in developing effective, long-lasting health solutions.
“Employers have an opportunity to leverage their unique position to affect millions of lives by serving as catalysts and advocates for solutions linking nutritious food to better health,” says Freishtat.
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Photo courtesy of Dan Gold, Unsplash
