Delaware has launched a new committee focused on lowering healthcare costs by using food as part of medical treatment. The Delaware Food is Medicine Committee was created by Governor Matt Meyer in May 2025. The goal is to improve public health by adding nutrition to the healthcare system.
The committee will address how poor nutrition leads to chronic diseases and high medical expenses. By making healthy food a key part of treatment, the state hopes to prevent illness instead of only treating it after it occurs.
State Representative Jeff Hilovsky, a retired optometrist, has joined the committee to help guide this effort. He believes many health conditions, such as diabetes, can improve or be avoided with better nutrition.
Experts say 85 percent of all healthcare spending in the U.S. is related to diet-linked chronic illnesses like heart disease and diabetes. Using food as medicine could save money and improve health outcomes.
Lieutenant Governor Kyle Evans Gay will lead the committee. It includes leaders from healthcare, farming, research, and community groups. They plan to adapt successful programs from other states and use national research to build a framework for Delaware.
Other states have started similar programs. In Massachusetts, some clinics now give patients healthy food boxes or grocery cards to support better eating habits. California offers medically tailored meals to patients with serious health conditions, which has helped reduce hospital visits.
Delaware’s committee will work to connect food services with medical care. This might include providing food boxes to patients, offering cooking classes, training doctors on nutrition, and supporting local farmers.
This plan targets communities where chronic diseases are common and fresh food is hard to find. By making healthy food part of healthcare, the committee hopes to improve lives and reduce the need for costly medical treatment.
The committee will meet regularly to develop programs and share their plans with the public. Pilot projects could start later this year, potentially making Delaware a leader in food-based healthcare.
