Food & Society at the Aspen Institute's Food is Medicine initiative began with the publication of the Research Action Plan—updated and strengthened in 2024—to establish an evidence-based framework for understanding how food can be leveraged as a powerful tool for health, healing, and overall well-being.
With continued, generous support from the Walmart Foundation, this work expanded through the creation of the Community Action Plan (CAP). Developed during a series of collaborative convenings from 2023 to 2025—also supported by the Ardmore Institute of Health—the CAP brings together diverse leaders across healthcare, food systems, community organizations, technology, policy, and philanthropy. Their shared insights, innovations, and real-world experiences helped shape a practical, actionable set of community strategies that advance Food is Medicine implementation nationwide.
This initiative reflects Food & Society’s commitment to closing the gap between nutrition science and on-the-ground solutions that measurably improve health outcomes.
The Community Action Plan is a living portal.
We invite organizations to contribute emerging models, lessons learned, and case studies. Please contact us at foodandsociety@aspeninstitute.org.
Food & Society extends its gratitude to the partners who contributed case studies:
- Center for Nutrition Impact
- Hack the Gap
- About Fresh
- Ceres Community Project
- Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation (CHLPI)
- Coding for Food
- Community Servings
- DC Greens
- Dion's Chicago Dream
- Feeding America
- Food is Medicine Coalition
- FreshRX
- Mass General Brigham Teaching Kitchen
- Meals on Wheels
- Morrisey Market
- Rethink Food