Safety-Net FoodRx: Repeat Attendance and Produce Consumption Patterns in a Produce Distribution Program.

Background

Free produce distributions at safety-net health center sites represent a promising strategy for mitigating food insecurity. Understanding how these services connect to participant outcomes is essential for optimizing food delivery to the community.

Objectives

In this secondary analysis of Los Angeles County FoodRx Clinic's Produce Distribution Program (PDP), we evaluated the association between attendance frequency and the proportion of produce consumed ("all" versus "less than all") among returning participants, adjusting for socio-demographic, household, and program characteristics. Additionally, we sought to identify factors contributing to incomplete produce consumption.

Methods

Data were collected using intercept surveys at 16 healthcare sites hosting produce distributions from July to October 2024. Among 451 surveyed participants, 368 were repeat attendees who had visited the distribution events more than once in the last 12 months.

Results

Among repeat attendees, 64% reported their household consumed all produce received, while 36% consumed only a portion. Higher attendance frequency (4+ times vs. 2-3 times) was associated with significantly higher odds of all produce consumed (adjusted odds ratio: 2.38, confidence interval: 1.43-3.95).

Conclusions

These findings provide critical insights for refining PDP operations and minimizing incomplete produce consumption among repeat attendees of this program.