March 19, 2026
National Food Is Medicine experts grow movement in Colorado
National experts weighed in on ways to collaborate and advance nutrition programs for people with ongoing conditions at the third Colorado Food Is Medicine Summit.
Kaiser Permanente co-hosted the Colorado Food Is Medicine Summit in January 2026.
The Food Is Medicine movement is growing in Colorado. When the first annual Colorado Food Is Medicine Summit convened in 2023, about 200 experts, community leaders, and representatives from health organizations gathered.
When Kaiser Permanente and Project Angel Heart co-hosted the summit again in 2026, the event bloomed to more than 300 attendees.
“To transform the way we treat and prevent diet-related disease and hunger, it takes a village,” said Pam Schwartz, executive director of Community Health at Kaiser Permanente. “We really need partnerships at all levels to be able to make a dent on transforming diet-related disease.”
Each part of the event focused on a different aspect of running and growing Food Is Medicine programs, but they all focused on a common question: How can these organizations better collaborate?
“This is an opportunity for people to come together and come to consensus,” said Marti Macchi, president and CEO of Project Angel Heart. “How do we continue to move this forward and really develop a strong system for the chronically ill and using nutrition as a treatment?”
Food Is Medicine leaders from Colorado and around the country spoke in 8 panel sessions. Attendees also brainstormed in roundtable discussions over lunch.
What is Food Is Medicine?
Greg Berman, MD, interim president and executive medical director of Kaiser Permanente in Colorado, addresses the 2026 Colorado Food Is Medicine Summit.
Food Is Medicine initiatives are evidence-based solutions for addressing food and nutrition insecurity and the many diet-related, ongoing diseases affecting millions of people in the United States
Food Is Medicine includes programs that help people access and afford healthy food to effectively treat a range of diet-driven diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension, as well as targeted interventions such as:
- Medically tailored meals
- Produce prescriptions
- Culinary medicine
- Nutrition counseling
What’s next for Food Is Medicine in Colorado?
In February 2025, Project Angel Heart and Feeding Colorado officially launched Food Is Medicine Colorado, or FIMCO. Kaiser Permanente joined as an inaugural member and its first health care organization.
Since then, FIMCO has gathered more than 30 members, representing community-based organizations, state agencies, hospitals, and health care organizations.
FIMCO has focused on mapping out existing programs across the state. It’s setting shared priorities and creating a collaborative space in which organizations can learn from one another, avoid duplication, and raise the visibility of Food Is Medicine as a health care strategy.
The goal is to make sure food-based health interventions reach more people, more effectively, across the state.
Learn more about Kaiser Permanente’s work in food and nutrition security.
