Epicured Begins Delivering Food is Medicine Under The New York State 1115 Waiver

The innovative program fundamentally reforms Medicaid by adopting the power of Food is Medicine to better serve New Yorkers – simultaneously improving health outcomes and reducing cost structures long believed to be intractable. 

GLEN COVE, N.Y., March 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Epicured Inc., a healthcare company that develops, produces, and distributes nutrition solutions, proudly supports the $7.5 billion New York State 1115 Waiver program. Under the Waiver, formally launched in January, Social Care Networks (SCN) across the state are implementing an innovative program to improve health outcomes and reduce the cost of healthcare services. Nutrition-based interventions are a key part of this program. The 1115 Waiver is designed to advance the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) long-term objective of improving health outcomes at a lower cost of care by providing access to nutritional solutions, among other services, to eligible members across New York.

CMS and the State of New York designed a program to reform Medicaid, by using food and other services as more effective, lower cost means to improve the health and well-being of 5 million members. Instead of waiting to treat chronic health conditions when the effects are most acute and costly to treat, the state has allocated over $3 billion for Health-Related Social Needs services including counseling and nutritional therapies tailored to the medical needs of at-risk individuals. This represents a material advancement in the recognition and institutionalization of the power of harnessing Food is Medicine to fundamentally alter the status quo in how our country addresses the health needs of its citizens.

"We are incredibly proud to support the SCNs and their partners around the state as they bring the healing power of food to support the state's most vulnerable citizens. The opportunity to enhance the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers while bending the curve of healthcare costs in the state is seismic," commented Richard Bennett, CEO and Co-Founder of Epicured.

Drawing on a seven-year history of delivering fresh, medically tailored meals across the country, Epicured is uniquely positioned to support the needs of Medicaid members in New York State by delivering freshly prepared, high quality therapeutic meals direct to their homes. The company launched its business with an industry-leading, therapeutic menu for digestive diseases and has since expanded its offering to include nutrition counseling and therapeutic menus addressing numerous chronic conditions. To meet the diverse needs of eligible members and the complex logistics demands of the 1115 Waiver, SCNs across the state rely on Epicured for its high standard of care across all business segments and its expanded offering of clinically-based nutrition solutions.   

"We know that nutrition matters and that many medical conditions are highly responsive to specific nutrition protocols. The 1115 Waiver means that proper nutrition is now foundational to the cost-effective prevention and management of chronic disease," continued Mr. Bennett.  "The New York Waiver is a significant milestone for Food is Medicine and its central role in providing quality healthcare at sustainable costs. As other states across the country follow New York's example, which I expect they will, the value of high quality, clinically based nutrition therapies will soon become mainstream."

Contact Information:
Alexandra Weil, Epicured, [email protected]

About Epicured Inc.

Epicured is on a mission to combat and prevent chronic disease, translating scientific research into high-quality food products nationwide. Our evidence-based approach brings the best of the clinical and culinary worlds together to help people eat better, feel better, and live better one meal at a time. As the leading Food is Medicine company, Epicured is working to redefine nutrition's role in the American healthcare industry and Americans' health. We work with individuals, health plans, healthcare providers, and life sciences companies to design innovative and delicious solutions to some of the world's toughest problems. Find out more about our vision for advancing food is medicine by visiting www.epicuredinc.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

SOURCE Epicured Inc.