The Physicians Foundation applauds the USDA and HHS for its renewed focus on nutrition and health through its release of the new USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which affirm a reality physicians confront every day: Food is medicine, and nutrition is inseparable from effective care—particularly amid a worsening chronic disease epidemic. Physicians see how diet-related conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and kidney disease are exacerbated not by a lack of clinical guidance, but by barriers to accessing healthy, affordable food.

“These guidelines reflect what physicians have long known to be true: You cannot treat chronic disease effectively without increasing access to affordable, nutritious food,” said Dr. Gary Price, President of The Physicians Foundation. “When patients have access to healthy foods and we recognize food as medicine, physicians can better meet patients where they are to help them manage chronic diseases more successfully. As the health system works to improve outcomes and lower costs, physicians must have the tools and support to address nutrition and food insecurity alongside clinical care.”

The Physicians Foundation’s research consistently shows that nutrition and food security play a decisive role in both health outcomes and health care costs. The 2025 Physician Survey on food insecurity found that 79% of physicians encountered situations where limited access to healthy food directly prevented patients from managing their chronic conditions. A Foundation-supported 2021 study further found that failure to address Drivers of Health (DOH), including access to nutritious foods, represents a missed opportunity to reduce geographic variation in spending and narrow health disparities. Together, these findings underscore that greater investment in access to healthy food can lead to meaningful downstream reductions in health care costs.

The Physicians Foundation remains committed to elevating physician perspectives, investing in community-based solutions and advancing policies that recognize food as a fundamental driver of health.