Nutrition and Culinary Education in Food Is Medicine Interventions: A Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND

Food is Medicine (FIM) interventions leverage food-based therapies to address diet-related conditions and disparities. Although nutrition and/or culinary education are recommended, the details and extent of these activities remain unclear.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the following 5 key educational characteristics within FIM interventions: components, delivery format, setting, frequency, and educators.

METHODS

Using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, a scoping review was conducted of FIM interventions (ie, medically tailored meals, groceries, or produce prescriptions) that included an educational component. Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, Embase, PubMed, and SIREN databases were searched from January 2010 to May 2025. Two investigators independently assessed texts for inclusion and extracted data using standardized methods. Descriptive analysis and narrative synthesis identified patterns and strategies related to educational methods.

RESULTS

Of 5703 articles reviewed, 100 met inclusion criteria, mostly from the United States (n = 91) and focused on adults (n = 84). Forty-one percent of the studies provided 1 educational component, 49% provided 2 to 3, and 10% provided 4 or more. Among 10 major educational components, printed materials (43%), cooking classes (35%), and individual counseling (32%) were most common. Most were delivered in-person (55.3%), followed by virtual (23.9%). Educational settings included virtual platforms (24%), clinics or hospitals (22.4%), and community locations (10.4%). Frequency of activities varied from 1 time to available on-demand; weekly (18.6%) and monthly (17.5%) were most common. Educators were most often registered dietitian nutritionists (23.6%), followed by clinicians (11.3%) and community health care workers (7.7%); 42.6% were unspecified.

CONCLUSIONS

These novel results provide a comprehensive characterization of educational components of FIM interventions. Findings highlight common patterns, structural gaps, and opportunities to strengthen the design, implementation, evaluation, and reporting of nutritional and culinary education within FIM.