Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' Food as Medicine Strategic Roadmap.

Abstract

Food as Medicine (FAM) interventions are emerging as an effective approach to addressing nutrition security and chronic disease among patients with nutrition-related disease or risk-factors. FAM programs are food-based interventions provided simultaneously with medical nutrition therapy that reaffirm the role food and nutrition play in health outcomes. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (Academy) is taking bold steps to promote registered dietitian nutritionists (RDN) as a requisite of rigorous FAM programming capable of transforming health and improving well-being. The Academy's 2025-2030 Strategic Plan aims to establish RDNs as leaders in providing evidence-based nutrition care and positions the discipline to expand partnerships that increase awareness of, and access to, RDNs and medical nutrition therapy. In addition, the Academy's FAM Strategic Roadmap identifies actions for the Academy, in alignment with the Strategic Plan, that highlight and support FAM programs and policies inclusive of RDNs. The objectives of this article are to summarize evidence of RDN roles in FAM programs, highlight consistent messaging for RDNs to elevate inclusion of the profession in the design and delivery of FAM programs to achieve optimal health outcomes, and introduce the Academy's Strategic Roadmap for FAM programs in support of its overarching Strategic Plan.