Mississippi Study Investing in Local Food for Health Outcomes

To launch a series on food-as-medicine initiatives, Farm Progress reported on the Delta Greens study, a multiyear project by Tufts University in the Mississippi Delta. In the study, qualifying healthcare patients receive weekly boxes of fresh produce, totaling $100 per month for a year, along with cooking education. The study tracks the patients’ health outcomes over time. In addition to supplying fresh produce, the study also invested $1 million in support for local farmers to enhance the availability of healthy local food. This funding helps farmers cover supplies, equipment maintenance, and tools to produce more food for the community. The project goal is to build a local food infrastructure that supports improved health over time and that helps participants continue eating healthy local produce after the study ends.