MANNA, the Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance, is the first organization in Pennsylvania to earn a new accreditation from the national Food is Medicine Coalition (FIMC). The accreditation indicates that MANNA meets FIMC’s set of standards for agencies delivering medically tailored meals (MTMs) as part of treatment plans for patients with complex and chronic illnesses such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, hypertension, and kidney failure.

FIMC, a national coalition of nonprofits that provide medically tailored meals, medically tailored groceries, and nutrition support to patients, established the Medically Tailored Meal Intervention Accreditation Criteria and Requirements in 2024 to provide verified credibility for organizations in this space. Earning accreditation signifies that organizations underwent a rigorous auditing process and meet the FIMC standards set by leading MTM experts. MANNA is the ninth organization to earn the FIMC accreditation nationally.

“MANNA began here in Philadelphia in January 1990 to provide nourishment to our critically ill neighbors who were dying of AIDS,” said MANNA CEO Sue Daugherty, RDN, LDN. “For 35 years, we have been advancing our work and that of the field, which makes earning this important accreditation now from FIMC especially meaningful. It underscores our commitment to serving our clients with the highest level of care. It is also a testament to the work of our incredible team of staff, volunteers, and partners; and it demonstrates to healthcare providers and clients that MANNA stands as a credible, reliable, and trusted partner in health and nutrition.”

“Congratulations to MANNA on this remarkable achievement,” said Alissa Wassung, Executive Director of FIMC. “Their accreditation demonstrates leadership and commitment to advancing the food is medicine movement and ensuring equitable access to lifesaving interventions for those who need them most.”

Daugherty, who has been with MANNA for more than two decades, added that the accreditation reinforces MANNA’s drive to advocate for expanded access to medically tailored nutrition services for more patients. “MTMs are proven interventions for improving health outcomes and need to become as integral to healthcare and individual treatment plans as prescription medicines and other therapies,” she said. “We provide MTMs to our clients at no charge thanks to generous philanthropic support, as well as several forward-looking insurers that have chosen to include MTMs in their coverage plans, but coverage of MTMs must become more universal.”

She adds that expanded access can also mean savings for the health care system, reducing hospital admissions, readmissions, and ER visits. In Pennsylvania, increasing access to medically tailored meals for at-risk patients with diabetes, alone, could amount to $4,370 annual net savings per patient, representing the second highest level of health care cost savings in the nation according to a comparative study.

Daugherty said the FIMC accreditation is significant for another reason, too. “There are more and more companies claiming to offer medically tailored meals but that may fall short of meeting medically tailored meal standards. FIMC accreditation is an important designation that can assure policymakers, healthcare partners and, most importantly, our clients that MANNA is delivering high-quality services according to best practices for medically tailored meals,” she said.