The "Food is Medicine" movement pushes for better nutrition in healthcare. It aims at helping people manage chronic illnesses with specially prepared meals. But Medicaid, which funds these meals for people with serious conditions, is now under fire.

Some of the meals it covers are not exactly the picture of health: Breakfast sandwiches, biscuits with gravy, and cheeseburgers. While they are labeled as medically tailored, nutrition experts say many of these meals are loaded with sodium, unhealthy fats, and processed ingredients.

Medicaid is spending millions on meals that are supposed to improve health, but some of them might be doing the opposite. This raises big questions about oversight, nutrition standards, and whether taxpayers are getting their money’s worth.

Medicaid’s Investment in 'Medically Tailored' Meals

Medicaid covers home-delivered meals for people who are too sick to shop or cook for themselves. These meals are designed to help manage chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Companies that provide them claim they meet strict health guidelines and can improve patient outcomes.

The Talks / Homestyle Direct, an Idaho-based company, is one of the businesses cashing in on this opportunity. It delivers millions of meals annually under Medicaid’s Home and Community-Based Services waiver program.

The company promises meals designed for specific medical conditions, including cancer, kidney disease, and heart issues. On paper, it sounds like a game-changer for public health. But the reality is quite the opposite.

Are These Meals Really ‘Medically Tailored?’

Despite being labeled as “medically tailored,” some of the meals covered by Medicaid contain shockingly high amounts of sodium and unhealthy fats. Nutrition experts argue that truly health-focused meals should be rich in fiber, low in sodium, and free from unnecessary additives.

However, Homestyle Direct’s menu includes a Jimmy Dean frozen breakfast sandwich, which is featured on their diabetes-friendly list. It packs nearly 1,000 milligrams of sodium - almost half the daily recommended limit for an average adult.

Another offering, biscuits and sausage gravy, contains more than half the amount of saturated fat and sodium that experts consider safe for a single day.

The cheeseburger, marketed as a good option for people with diabetes and heart disease, contains around 50 ingredients. And many of which are ultra-processed.

The Problem with the ‘Food is Medicine’ Label

The "Food is Medicine" movement is gaining traction, and policymakers are eager to integrate nutrition into healthcare. The White House, the American Heart Association, and major organizations like the Rockefeller Foundation have all backed the initiative.

But there is no universal definition of what a medically tailored meal should include. In turn, this leaves a major loophole for companies profiting off the trend.

Dan / Pexels / Medicaid is meant to help people stay healthier and avoid expensive hospital stays. But if the meals it funds are not nutritious, the whole system suffers.

Originally, medically tailored meals were created in the 1980s to support people dying of AIDS. Back then, non-profit organizations took the lead, focusing on truly nutritious, life-saving meals. Now, for-profit companies have entered the space, and many seem more focused on maximizing profits than ensuring the meals actually improve health.

The Cost of Poor Nutrition in Healthcare

If these meals are not improving patient health, they are likely adding to the long-term costs of healthcare. Poor nutrition is a major driver of chronic disease. And that can lead to more hospital visits, higher medication use, and increased healthcare spending.

Experts argue that properly designed medically tailored meals could save billions in healthcare costs by preventing hospitalizations and reducing the need for medications. But that only works if the meals actually meet nutritional standards.

Right now, it is unclear if that is happening.