About the Event
The Food is Medicine Institute’s 3rd Annual Food is Medicine Advocacy Day (June 3, 2026) is an opportunity to visit with congressional offices to grow and deepen understanding and support for Food is Medicine (FIM) on Capitol Hill.
We’re excited to convene voices from across sectors to speak to policymakers about how integrating FIM interventions into healthcare can play a key role in addressing growing disease burdens, costs, and disparities in diet-related illnesses in communities across the nation. The event will bring together people who have experience in various facets of FIM, including but not limited to:
- Patients and clients who have participated in FIM initiatives
- Healthcare professionals who have prescribed and/or helped deliver FIM interventions
- Health systems leaders who have seen the benefits of FIM
- Non- and for-profit organizations that provide FIM products and services
- Researchers who study FIM interventions
- Public health practitioners who are engaged in integrating FIM interventions into healthcare
Focus and Legislative Priorities
FIM interventions reflect the critical link between nutrition and health, integrated into healthcare delivery. These programs provide medically tailored meals, groceries, and produce to support disease management, in combination with nutrition and culinary education, as part of a patient’s healthcare treatment plan. Advocacy Day attendees will have an opportunity to educate policymakers about their work to advance FIM and will also be able to discuss specific legislative priorities to advance FIM in healthcare. These priorities will center on supporting research and implementation of medically tailored meals, medically tailored groceries, and produce prescriptions.
Organizers
The Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University is proud to support and lead planning for the Food is Medicine Advocacy Day. The Institute is pleased to plan the Advocacy Day in collaboration with the following organizations:
- American College of Lifestyle Medicine
- American Heart Association
- Appalachian Regional Healthcare
- Capital Area Food Bank
- Food is Medicine Coalition
- Instacart
- John Hancock
- National Association of Community Health Centers
- National Produce Prescription Collaborative
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Event Logistics
The event will take place on Wednesday, June 3, 2026 from approximately 8:00AM-5:00PM in Washington, D.C. Registered attendees will receive further information in early May about the day’s schedule.
We will organize congressional visits for registered attendees, who will be placed in groups for meetings with House and Senate offices. Meeting teams are largely organized by state of residence. We will aim to provide attendees with an opportunity to visit the offices of their home Representative and Senator(s), though this cannot be guaranteed. In order to streamline scheduling and communications, we kindly request that attendees do not schedule their own meetings.
All materials to prepare for the meetings and to share with congressional offices will be provided, and virtual live training sessions will be available 1-2 weeks prior to June 3. Attendees will receive email communication regarding the exact dates of the virtual live training sessions.
Participants will be responsible for providing their own travel and accommodations.
Registration
Registration is required to attend the Advocacy Day, and space is limited. If you are interested in joining the Advocacy Day, please contact foodismedicine@tufts.edu to find out if spaces remain in your state.
Contact
For questions, contact foodismedicine@tufts.edu.