WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 11, 2025) — A new independent evaluation confirms what Food & Friends and Moveable Feast have long known: meals tailored to a person’s medical needs by a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) can transform health outcomes, increase patient satisfaction, reduce hospitalizations, and lower cost of care.
Medically tailored meals (MTMs) are delivered to individuals living with severe, complex, and/or chronic illnesses through a referral from a medical professional or healthcare plan. Both Food & Friends and Moveable Feast participated in the “Maryland Medically Tailored Meals & Hospital Utilization Technical Report”, which analyzed client data over three years for 3,000 unique clients looking at outcomes for hospitalization costs and visit numbers during the pre- and post-service period, as well as the number of potentially avoidable utilizations. The data looked at clients who had serious or chronic medical conditions and select sociodemographic indicators (e.g., high hospitalization costs at pre-test, Medicare eligibility, Medicaid eligibility).
The results are powerful and show that participants who received MTMs:
- Experienced a 37% reduction in hospital charges, an average savings of $9,020 per person
- Saw a 45% drop in potentially avoidable inpatient hospitalizations
- Experienced a 34% reduction in hospital visits
- The top 25% of spenders, who accounted for 75% of charges in the six-month period before receiving medically tailored meals, experienced a 67% reduction in hospital charges, an average savings of $52,554 per person
“We hear from our clients every day that we’re making a difference in their lives, and these results reinforce that: a reduction in hospitalizations represents more time that people feel like themselves, and more time that they get to spend at home with family,” said Carrie Stoltzfus, CEO of Food & Friends. “We make a difference for individuals and for systems; we’re giving people the opportunity to live with dignity and stability during an illness, while easing the strain on our healthcare system.”
“No one should have to choose between feeding their family and fortifying their health,” said Sue Elias, CEO of Moveable Feast. “Our clients have complex health and social needs, and navigating those systems to get help can be confusing and stressful. We have the expertise with proven results to support those most in need of medically tailored meals. This data provides us with the opportunity to make meaningful progress toward a healthier Maryland. Together, we can deliver more than food to Marylanders living with serious chronic illnesses. We can deliver hope.”
Food & Friends also participated in two other studies that demonstrate the powerful role that home-delivered, medically tailored meals and medically tailored groceries have as a significant healthcare intervention.
The “Anthem Cohort Comparison Study” was conducted over three years and looked at results for 64 clients who had diabetes with an A1C of 8 or higher and food insecurity or heart disease and food insecurity. Clients in this study received six months of medically tailored meals and nutrition counseling.
INOVA Health in Northern Virginia was both Food & Friends’ referral and clinical data partner. Outcomes for this three-year study:
- Saw measurable improvements in managing chronic illness, including 75% of participants lowering their A1C levels and 53% who saw a reduction of 1 point or more. Studies have shown that, for every 1-point decrease in A1C levels, you reduce your risk of long-term diabetes complications by up to 40%.
- Participants reported decreased rates of food insecurity and a better quality of life for themselves and their families.
The other study was conducted with Maryland’s Community Health Services Commission (CHRC), which reported outcome data for 58 clients over 24 months who were living with diabetes and food insecurity; each client received 26 weeks of medically tailored meals. Of significance:
- None were hospitalized or re-hospitalized while receiving medically tailored meals or medically tailored groceries
- 76% had a reduction in A1C levels from their baseline
- 53% experienced a reduction in their A1C by 1 point or more
- 44% reported reduced food insecurity as measured through our client exit survey
Both Food & Friends and Moveable Feast are among only 13 organizations nationwide that have earned national accreditation from the Food Is Medicine Coalition (FIMC), recognizing their leadership in delivering medically tailored meals that meet the highest standards of quality, safety, and evidence-based practice. This designation further validates their role as trusted providers in the growing Food Is Medicine movement.
The organizations stress that these outcomes underscore the need for broader integration of MTM services into healthcare systems. With food insecurity and diet-related disease on the rise, the evidence proves that investing in medically tailored meals is not only compassionate but also cost-effective.
Food & Friends and Moveable Feast together delivered more than 2.5 million meals last year to clients across Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, ensuring that those facing cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, heart disease, and other serious illnesses could access the meals essential for recovery and health.
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About Food & Friends
Food & Friends is the Washington, D.C. region’s leading authority on Food is Medicine and the only community-based organization delivering medically tailored meals and providing medical nutrition therapy to neighbors living with cancer, HIV/AIDS, and other serious illnesses. Food & Friends’ services are free of charge to recipients who qualify solely based on their health status and nutritional needs, including for their dependents and caregivers. Monday-Saturday, staff and volunteers deliver to 6,172 square miles including the District of Columbia, nine counties in Maryland, and seven counties and six independent cities in Virginia. Nearly 2 million meals will be delivered to more than 5,500 individuals in 2025. Since 1988, Food & Friends has delivered more than 30 million meals to 47,000 individuals. The organization is accredited by the national Food is Medicine Coalition.
For more information, visit FoodAndFriends.org or on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.
About Moveable Feast
Moveable Feast has pioneered the Food Is Medicine approach in Maryland. What began nearly four decades ago as a response to the AIDS crisis has evolved into a comprehensive, evidenced-based program that demonstrates the relationship between proper nutrition and quality healthcare. Today, Moveable Feast provides medical nutrition therapy and home delivered, Medically Tailored Meals (MTMs) to Marylanders in Baltimore City, the five surrounding counties and the entire Eastern Shore, at no cost to the client. In 2024, Moveable Feast served more than 420,000 meals to nearly 2,500 Marylanders living at the intersection of food insecurity and serious chronic illness. Together, along with its partners in the Food is Medicine Coalition, Moveable Feast will ensure that everyone has access to the food and care they need. The organization is accredited by the national Food is Medicine Coalition. For more information, visit mfeast.org or on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Media Contact
Cameron Whitaker
Director of Communications
cwhitaker@foodandfriends.org
O: 202-269-6875; C: 281-635-7418