Opportunities for Individual- and Population-Specific Adaptations in Food Is Medicine: A Scoping Review

Top Things to Know

FIM programs already incorporate substantial tailoring, but adaptation strategies differ by intervention type: MTMs primarily focus on disease-specific needs, whereas PRx and MTG programs more often emphasize cultural relevance and community context.

Registered dietitian nutritionists play a central role in disease-state adaptations, suggesting that nutrition professional involvement may be an important component of high-intensity FIM interventions.

Future research should evaluate whether culturally tailored, family-centered, and population-specific adaptations improve engagement, effectiveness, equity, and sustainability beyond standard FIM models.

Summary of Conclusion/Findings

This scoping review evaluated how Food Is Medicine (FIM) interventions are adapted to meet the needs of specific populations by synthesizing 89 U.S.-based studies, including 20 medically tailored meal (MTM), 18 medically tailored grocery (MTG), and 51 produce prescription (PRx) programs. Most studies (80.9%) reported at least one adaptation, with disease-state adaptations being the most common (46.1%), followed by culture- and community-focused adaptations (43.8%), while age- and household-size adaptations were relatively uncommon (16.9%). Disease-specific tailoring was particularly prevalent in MTM programs, where 95.0% of studies described adaptations such as alignment with evidence-based dietary guidelines and individualized nutrition planning, often involving registered dietitian nutritionists. Culture- and community-focused adaptations were more frequently reported in PRx and MTG programs and included translated materials, culturally relevant foods and recipes, community-engaged program design, and client-choice food models. The review also found that pediatric populations, pregnant individuals, non-English-speaking communities, and whole-family approaches were underrepresented, highlighting important gaps in current FIM program design and implementation.