IFPA applauds legislation promoting produce prescriptions for veterans

The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) welcomes new legislation that would authorize the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to provide produce prescriptions to veterans with diet-related chronic conditions.

The bipartisan Produce Prescription for Veterans Act was introduced Feb. 2 by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Reps. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) and Chellie Pingree (D-Maine). Under the bill, veterans could receive vouchers or debit cards to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at no cost or at a reduced cost.

“Today’s legislation takes a pivotal step forward in integrating fruits and vegetables into health care at scale,” IFPA CEO Cathy Burns said in a statement. “After years of successful pilots, we know produce prescriptions work. IFPA and our members are deeply grateful to Senator Durbin and Representatives Buchanan and Pingree for their leadership in bringing this bill forward and for recognizing the critical role fruits and vegetables play in addressing chronic disease.”

The IFPA statement noted that eight out of 10 health care dollars in the U.S. are spent on preventable chronic diseases, as well the emphasis placed on fruits and vegetables by the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Produce prescriptions have been shown to lower blood glucose levels, BMI and blood pressure, IFPA said, while research has found that these interventions in Medicaid have lowered hospitalization rates and reduced healthcare spending by an average of $1,700 per patient annually.  

IFPA has advocated advancing produce prescriptions as a public policy priority for years through its collaborations with the National Produce Prescription Collaborative. Produce prescriptions were among the policy recommendations IFPA sent to the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission to inform its final report. 

“Produce prescriptions represent the most significant opportunity in decades to increase consumption,” said Mollie Van Lieu, IFPA vice president of nutrition and health. “IFPA has long worked to advance produce prescriptions, and seeing this legislation bring them to the national stage is incredibly exciting.”