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A growing number of programs in the U.S. give people batches of produce as a way to combat heart problems and obesity-related disease.
March 21, 2024, 7:05 AM EDT By Aria Bendix
If doctors prescribed fruits and vegetables like medicine, could people improve their health through diet alone? That’s the theory behind a growing number of programs in the U.S. that deliver free produce.
These so-called produce prescription programs aim to combat heart problems and obesity-related diseases by either preparing free bundles of fruits and veggies for participants to pick up on a regular schedule, delivering fresh batches of produce to people’s homes or giving them money to buy produce.
Carol Grand, a 63-year-old retiree in Tulsa, Oklahoma, joined one such program in late 2022 after she was diagnosed with diabetes. Her doctor prescribed her medication, she said, but she didn’t want to rely on it forever.
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