Herman Johnson never imagined that something as simple as fruits and vegetables could change his life. A retired Army veteran from Houston, Texas, Johnson had struggled with weight issues for years, tipping the scales at over 300 pounds. His diet— like that of so many army veterans— was heavy on processed foods and light on fresh produce. But under a new pilot backed by the Rockefeller Foundation, he has become one of the first beneficiaries of a big bet that Food is Medicine (FIM) can redefine healthcare as we currently know it.
The numbers are staggering: 90% of the $4.3 trillion America spends on healthcare goes to chronic diseases— many fueled by poor diets— that disproportionately impact vulnerable groups such as people of color, low-income households, rural communities, seniors, and veterans. Every year, 500,000 people die from diet-related conditions, driving $1.1 trillion in healthcare costs— the same amount the country spends on food.
For America’s 19 million veterans, and the 9 million being treated by the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) who are disproportionately affected by heart disease, diabetes and obesity, FIM programs have the power to improve health, lower costs, and change lives. And The Rockefeller Foundation is betting big that FIM can do the same for all Americans— starting with veterans like Herman Johnson.
Dr. Rajiv Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation and author of Big Bets: How Large-Scale Change Really Happens, sees FIM as one of the biggest bets in public health today. “A big bet could help ensure that good, nutritious food that is its own form of medicine is affordable and available to massively reduce the burden of common chronic illnesses,” he writes. In his book, Shah advocates for bold, high-impact strategies— setting ambitious goals, taking decisive action, and forging unexpected alliances to drive real change. Food is Medicine embodies this very approach.
With bipartisan support, FIM is transforming healthcare from reactive to proactive, using nutrition as a powerful form of prevention— much like vaccines revolutionized public health.
A Big Bet on Food Is Medicine
Johnson’s story is at the heart of what The Rockefeller Foundation is betting on: that food can be as powerful as medicine in preventing and managing chronic diseases and food insecurity. The Foundation has committed over $100 million to Food is Medicine programs since 2019, funding research, pilot programs, and policy initiatives to integrate nutrition-based healthcare solutions into the U.S. health system.
“We’ve supported different food is medicine projects in different parts of the country over the last six years or so,” says Devon Klatell, Vice President of the Food Initiative at The Rockefeller Foundation. “We have supported some community-based organizations, and nonprofits. From a research perspective, we made a significant investment a couple of years ago in Health Care by Food, which is an initiative within the American Heart Association.”
The most recent Rockefeller investment builds upon a partnership signed in 2024 with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to promote the adoption of Food is Medicine in health systems, and expands its 2023 collaboration with the VA through new pilot projects at key Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities across the country.
“These five pilot projects that we’re now doing with the with the veterans in five states are the first that we know about that have been implemented within the VHA system, which is part of why they’re really exciting,” says Klatell of new programs in New York, Maryland and North Carolina, that build on lessons learned in Utah and Texas.
For veterans like Herman Johnson, that bet is already paying off. He is part of a growing movement of former service members who are reclaiming their health with fresh produce instead of new prescriptions.
Veterans: The Perfect Use Case for Food is Medicine
For Herman Johnson, everything changed when he made the switch to a plant-based diet— what he refers to as a mission to “stop eating the cow and start eating what the cow was eating.” In 2023, he joined a FIM program at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas. Through the Fresh Connect pilot program— a partnership between the nonprofit About Fresh and The Rockefeller Foundation— Johnson received a $100 monthly debit card to buy fresh fruits and vegetables.
The program has already enrolled 554 veterans, with 97-98% activation rates, surpassing expectations, according to Adam Shyevitch, Chief Program Officer at About Fresh. It also offers nutrition counseling to help veterans make long-term dietary changes, through VA healthcare facilities and the VHA’s Healthy Teaching Kitchen.
Once enrolled in the FIM program, Johnson began experimenting with his diet— switching from soul food to plant-based meals, and even began juicing. “I eat the beet, the stem, and the leaf,” he laughs. The transformation was almost immediate. He lost 50 pounds, lowered his blood pressure, and cut his medication in half.
“I gained a whole new perspective on eating,” he says. “Food is medicine. I want to reverse all my medicine.”
Veterans face some of the highest rates of food insecurity and diet-related chronic diseases. Studies show they are 5% more likely to develop diabetes than the general population (a whopping 25%) and a staggering 86% were overweight or obese at their first VA visit. Conditions like hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and mobility issues— all closely linked to diet— are widespread.
As the nation’s largest integrated healthcare system, the VA serves 9 million veterans annually across more than 1,380 facilities, making it an ideal environment to study large-scale interventions like FIM. Unlike private insurers with high patient turnover, veterans typically remain in the VHA system for life, allowing for long-term impact studies.
“The institution that is one of the most likely to save quite a lot of money— if they scale this up to millions of their beneficiaries— is the Veterans Administration,” says Shah. “If you’re really looking to reduce costs, make government more efficient, serve American people, honor those who have served this country— this is the kind of intervention you should be investing in.”
Scaling Food Is Medicine Nationwide
On March 18th, at a Capitol Hill event entitled “Food is Medicine in the Veterans Health Administration,” co-hosted by U.S. Representatives, Republican from Florida, Vern Buchanan and Democrat from Maine, Chellie Pingree, The Rockefeller Foundation announced the expansion of its FIM pilot programs to 2,000 veterans across five states, in partnership with Instacart, Syracuse University, the University of Utah, 4P Foods, Duke University, and Reinvestment Partners. According to Shah, the initiative will provide veterans “across every race and ethnicity access to fresh vegetables in different formats— to study whether or not they develop and live with these burdensome chronic diseases.”
“The goal is to eventually offer Food is Medicine to all U.S. veterans,” said Christine Going, Senior Advisor in the VA’s Food Security Office.
In addition to a 2024 commitment of $80 million over five years to expand FIM programs, a recent $3.5 million grant will support farmers, chronic disease care, and state-level FIM adoption in 10 states and Washington, D.C.— bringing Rockefeller’s total commitment since 2019 to over $100 million. The goal: to combat diet-related diseases, cut healthcare costs, and integrate FIM into Medicaid.
“We think that we’re continuing to really grow momentum in the space and learn more and more about how best to deliver these programs,” says Klatell. “We are incredibly grateful to the team at the VHA for allowing us to put together this public-private partnership. And we hope that it’s building the kind of muscle internally within VHA for them to be able to scale it throughout the system.”
The long-term goal is clear: expand Food is Medicine nationwide, ensuring veterans with chronic conditions or food insecurity have access to nutrition-based healthcare. The VHA is working to integrate FIM across its system while advocating for Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurers to cover these programs.
Shah is confident that Food is Medicine will eventually be embraced as a core healthcare strategy. “Big bets are about measuring and documenting results, and we’re spending $100 million on food as medicine, because we think if we can show payers in the $6 trillion American health care system that these interventions make people healthier and reduce their long-term costs— and dramatically improve their lives. Then others will pick it up and pay for it, because it’ll save them money.”
Herman Johnson’s Next Chapter
For Johnson, the program has been life-changing. “Who knew that I would learn to love beets?” he jokes.
His primary care physician at the VA, Dr. Zachary Decatur, has seen the results firsthand: “Mr. Johnson’s healthy eating is really paying off for him. His overall health, including weight, blood pressure, and blood sugars, are improving. It’s really great to see him take charge of his health and get such great results.”
But Johnson isn’t done yet. His next goal? To lose another 20 pounds. “I still have a little weight to lose,” he says, “but my knees are feeling better, and I’m having fun gardening and learning more about healthy eating.”
And while he once dismissed the idea of spending money on vegetables, today he sees food in an entirely new way. Not as a luxury. Not as an afterthought. But as medicine.
A New Future for America’s Health
Herman Johnson’s story is just one of many. Across the country, The Rockefeller Foundation and its partners are working to bring Food is Medicine programs to millions of people— especially those at the highest risk of diet-related disease.
While long-term health data is still developing, research on similar programs and strong participation rates point to promising results. According to Shyevitch, participants have reported better overall health, with consistent drops in BMI and ANC levels. Klatell says that there has been overwhelming patient satisfaction with the program, with a net promoter score of 9.5 out of 10.
As Shah points out, change at this scale requires bold action: “Too often, people hesitate when it comes to committing to solve a problem. The sheer magnitude of what it will take— the high costs, the complexities, the daunting scale— causes them to step back.”
Instead of stepping back, The Rockefeller Foundation is leaning in— betting big that Food is Medicine can transform healthcare, cut costs, and save lives. And for veterans like Johnson, that bet is already making all the difference.
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