Originally published on LinkedIn
It’s easy in the startup world to become so focused on current challenges and goals that you overlook the progress you’ve made. As 2024 rushes to an end, I wanted to take time to reflect on the past 12 months at NourishedRx and celebrate our accomplishments as a team. In important ways, it’s been a watershed year for our company and for broader awareness of the transformative power of nutrition in health, chronic illness, sustained wellbeing, and community resilience.
Five years ago, “food-as-medicine” or as we prefer “food-is-health” programs were more a rarity or a “nice-to-have” for policymakers and healthcare leaders. Today, they’re increasingly recognized as critical in a nation where almost half of adults have a preventable, diet-related chronic illness, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. Additionally, more than two-thirds of adults and nearly one-third of children and youths have overweight or obesity, and nearly 14% of the population lacks ready access to nutritious food options amid rising prices.
The stark reality is that the majority of the population is struggling with their health—and much of this is preventable. The proverbial “house is on fire.” Fortunately, this is fueling change, growth, and innovation in the food-as-medicine space – and US healthcare as a whole. Our nation is beginning to think about health very differently and NourishedRx is out in front.
1. Tailwinds Promoting Change
Part of my optimism comes from the mounting interest and engagement in food-as-medicine programs, including medically tailored meals, food prescriptions, and nutrition counseling.
On the policy front, federal and state-level initiatives over the past several years – including Medicaid managed care reforms, In Lieu of Services (ILOS) programs, and 1115 waivers – are bolstering food-related services that drive health. Given increasing awareness of the role healthy food can play in addressing our chronic illness and mental health epidemics, it seems likely that such programs will continue to expand.
Innovators, investors, and policy-makers are recognizing the critical connection between the need for improved nutrition (a healthcare imperative) and the necessity of transforming our food landscape (an agricultural and systemic challenge). Health systems, health plans, and community-based organizations are launching food-as-medicine programs across the country, and dozens of new digital companies are entering the space. And, there is a growing awareness that the prevalence of ultra-processed food is a major contributor to the current health crisis, and that sustainable local agriculture holds many answers.
On the investment front, NourishedRx achieved a significant milestone this year when we closed a Series A funding round that will help fuel our next phase of growth. To me, that was indicative of real confidence in our model, team, and mission. We’re also proud that we graduated from ISO 27001 to a SOC 2 Type II Attestation in 2024. This rigorous independent audit validates the effectiveness of our controls to safeguard sensitive information.
2. Following Our Own Path
In the rapidly evolving food-as-medicine marketplace, NourishedRx stood out in 2024, fueled by our mission to advance health — one meal, one individual, and one community at a time.
Even as many of our competitors have pivoted to become aggregators of fee-for-service registered dietitians or digital-only solutions, NourishedRx continues to build a unique platform that can meet the holistic, multi-faceted needs of the underserved and chronically ill at scale with comprehensive, clinically integrated programs.
Why have we taken that path? Because chronic illness can’t be prevented or managed sustainably across American communities without addressing complex individual challenges and systemic barriers to health. So we work in concert with our health plan partners, community-based organizations, food suppliers, and other stakeholders to support our shared goals around improving health, including physical, mental and social health.
And it’s working.
3. Sustainable Life Changes
Our results are proving the impact of our model. By providing comprehensive programs that wrap nutrition coaching, education, and community-based resources around clinically-tailored meals and groceries, we’re helping a diverse range of individuals – from birthing mothers and their newborns to hourly employees with unmanaged chronic disease to Medicaid/Medicare beneficiaries, to veterans, and others.
Participants in our programs measurably and sustainably improve their physical health. For example, in 2024 NourishedRx members with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes saw an average 1.5-point reduction in their HbA1c over the course of a 14 weeks intervention. One year later, not only did this reduction hold, but we saw further reduction of an additional 1-point of HbA1c! They also report improved food security, enhanced outlook on life, and increased personal agency – all of which are critical for lasting change in lifestyle, behaviors, and habits.
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A Personal Lens: Transformative Member Stories
This personal account from Martha reminds us of the profound impact we can have. At 69, Martha, a participant from Indianapolis, struggled with multiple chronic conditions. Through our program, she found not only better health but also renewed confidence and a deeper connection to her community. Her experience reflects our belief in the power of nutrition to improve health, and personal agency, and quality of life.
The impact we have on our members’ lives fuels the dedication and commitment of our team in meeting complex challenges and growing our business. _________________________________________________________________________
4. A Year Focused on Scale, Growth, and Operational Excellence
The NourishedRx team and solution expanded its reach considerably in 2024. The work we’ve done with early adopters and innovators over the past couple years – launching pilots and proof-of-concept programs – has helped us hone our model and streamline our execution. In 2024, we scaled our approach dramatically and saw our programs expand.
We are now collaborating with 17 healthcare partners and have grown the number of members participating in our comprehensive care programs by 12x compared to 2023. We served members across 37 states and sourced food from 21 suppliers, including 10 local and 10 certified diverse suppliers.
We established our first collaborations with both a Government and Life Sciences partner and have introduced new use cases including oncology, surgery nutritional support, and transitions to community living.
Most importantly, we’re continuing to achieve significant impact on clinical outcomes and quality of life while driving strong member engagement and experience and executing on our operational goals.
5. Supporting Communities and Sustainability
We’re impacting communities and local food ecosystems by sourcing locally as much as possible. Our local food partners, ranging from small organic farms to neighborhood meal prep businesses, care deeply about the people in their communities. When we contract with them, we’re supporting their enterprises, facilitating their access to new markets, increasing their revenues, helping grow the local economy, and fostering a more resilient food supply system.
At the same time, we’re helping our health plan partners improve the health of their most vulnerable populations and address long-standing structural barriers to health. In fact, 55% of our members faced social determinants of health (SDOH) risks and 48% self-identified as belonging to a minority racial or ethnic group. We’re also participating in key federal and state forums to help advocate for important change.
Scaling Impact in 2025
I’m as proud of our growth in 2024 as I am excited about our coming year. Going forward, we’ll continue to strengthen our partnerships with health plans, food suppliers, and local communities to bring our programs to more people across the country. We are also launching new programs for obesity management, musculoskeletal health, and behavioral health. And we’re building our platform to enable our partners to manage their own food-as-medicine programs while leveraging our tools and network to drive sustainable outcomes.
As we expand our offerings and reach, we remain committed to local communities and will continue to strive to influence policy and ecosystem change that prioritizes local, nutrient-dense food production over processed alternatives to bolster economic and community resilience.
None of this would be possible without your support, collaboration, and shared belief in the power of nutritious food as a transformative force. Together, we’re proving that better health, not just better healthcare, is within reach for millions of Americans.
Thank you for being an important part of this journey.
In good health,
Lauren Driscoll Founder & CEO, NourishedRx
