Medically tailored grocery (MTG) programs address these challenges by connecting patients to foods that support their medical condition. But even MTG interventions have their limitations — namely, they are labor intensive to create and don’t fully hit the mark. To be most effective, any Food as Medicine program, including MTGs, must balance medical tailoring with the patient's culture, ethnicity, religion, or lifestyle. In other words, if you want your patients to eat the foods that best support their health condition, guide them to foods familiar to them.

Let’s imagine you design a MTG food package for patients with diabetes. The package includes food limited in carbohydrates and added sugars, and rich in nutrition. But if the patient comes from a cultural background where rice or pasta is central to their diet, they may find it difficult to incorporate many of the foods you recommend.

When Sifter is integrated into a health program, health professionals can generate a cultural dietary match for any medically tailored eating plan. Our technology identifies grocery food eligibility for hundreds of chronic health conditions, including diabetes, kidney disease, IBS, heart health, and food allergies, as well as religious and ethical preferences. Sifter's ability to exclude any ingredients during product search also makes it possible for dietitians to create targeted MTG lists that take account of a patient's likes and dislikes. It's a game-changer when designing MTGs.

That's why health platforms are relying on Sifter to fuel a more effective Food as Medicine program that improves health outcomes and can lower healthcare costs.

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