WHOLESOME WAVE RECEIVES GRANT FROM WALMART TO DEVELOP AND APPLYFED PRINCIPLE TO PRODUCE PRESCRIPTION PROGRAM

WHOLESOME WAVE RECEIVES GRANT FROM WALMART TO DEVELOP AND APPLY

FED PRINCIPLE TO PRODUCE PRESCRIPTION PROGRAM

Hartford, Connecticut to Serve as Test Community for Innovative Model

Bridgeport, Connecticut - Wholesome Wave, a renowned national 501(c)3 non-profit that addresses nutrition insecurity by making healthy produce available and affordable for people who need it most, today announced its receipt of a grant from Walmart to support the development and implementation of its new, transformational “FED” Principle to its Produce Prescription Programs.  Hartford, Connecticut has been selected as the inaugural community for this ground-breaking model with key implementation partners including Hartford Health System, Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center and Hispanic Health Council, and key redemption partners including US Hunger, C-Town, KeyFood Markets and Hartford Food System.

“As Wholesome Wave continues to evolve and expand our critical work in low-income and historically excluded communities around the country, we are excited to announce our enhanced values framework of Fidelity, Equity and Dignity – which we refer to as ‘FED’ – to our Produce Prescription Program,” said Benjamin Perkins, CEO, Wholesome Wave.  “We currently serve more than 100 communities across the country and work with health care providers to prescribe the fruits and vegetables necessary to help prevent or manage diet-related diseases. The development and implementation of our FED framework will allow us to deepen, expand and elevate a critically needed layer of racial and cultural sensitivity to our future work.  We are appreciative of this grant from Walmart to help us make FED a new national standard in addressing the racial and cultural inequities faced by those who are food and nutrition insecure.”

The FED Principle under development stands for:

●      Fidelity - We are committed to meeting communities where they are by working directly with them to build solutions in line with their beliefs, customs and cultural preferences.

●      Equity - We work tirelessly to ensure that our efforts increase access to nutritious foods for our most vulnerable citizens, regardless of race, ethnicity, age, gender or income.

●      Dignity – All humans have inherent worth regardless of their station in life, which is why we all deserve good health and wellbeing. Unlocking the right and providing the resources to choose nutritious foods for vulnerable community members are the vehicles by which we affirm and celebrate human dignity.

To ensure comprehensive adaption and implementation, Wholesome Wave will work with DAISA Enterprises to develop an advisory process, which will include direct community member engagement, to increase cultural and structural intelligence to ensure community ownership and maximize impact. Outcomes will inform a redesign of the existing Produce Prescription Model with an eye toward replication. This seminal approach will be implemented in the Hartford market to measure the impact of engaging community members and stakeholders in the program design process.

“Everyone deserves access to healthier food, and Walmart is working every day to connect communities with healthier food options,” said Eileen Hyde, senior director for Community Resilience at Walmart.org. “Our grant to Wholesome Wave builds on Walmart’s investments in nutrition programs working to improve food access engaging those directly affected in underserved communities. We’re proud to support this good work.”

"We are honored to be working with Wholesome Wave to implement the FED approach at our Women’s Ambulatory Health Services,” said Dr. Jessica Mullins, an OB/GYN from Hartford Healthcare. “Our goal is to recruit 100+ women in their first trimester of pregnancy, and help support not only their own nutrition, but that of their growing family as well. It has been a longstanding mission at the Women's Ambulatory Health Services to provide excellent care for women regardless of their racial and culture backgrounds or their ability to pay.  Being able to offer this program to our community would be an important step in addressing healthy equity in maternal health. Our collaboration with Wholesome Wave would help address food insecurity in our patients and improve their pregnancy outcomes." 

"Eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables is an essential part of a healthy diet, and this is especially important during pregnancy for both the mother and her baby." said Sofia Segura-Pérez, Director of the Nutrition Unit at the Hispanic Health Council in Hartford, Connecticut. In a recent study conducted by Wholesome Wave in partnership with the Hispanic Health Council, Hartford residents viewed their financial situation as the main barrier to afford fresh quality produce and thought that monetary incentives would help them to buy them. According to Sofia Segura-Perez, "This new project brings together community partners including the Hartford Food System and local supermarkets, to empower low-income pregnant women to have a healthier pregnancy by facilitating better health care access, and providing them with nutrition education and healthy recipe preparation skills, as well as financial incentives. That fact that this new program will be co-designed with the community make it very relevant, The Hispanic Health Council is very enthusiastic to be a part of this innovative Wholesome Wave food prescription program." 

"Wholesome Wave’s research over the years has been seeking to improve public health through its innovative Produce Prescription program,” said Professor Rafael Pérez-Escamilla from the Yale School of Public Health-Griffin Prevention Research Center.  “In this new study, we will be closely monitoring the dietary habits and physical and mental health among low-income pregnant women participating in this program," he said. "Our findings will not only help Wholesome Wave continue to update and refine its Produce Prescription program, but also will allow us to share crucial information with key organizations and stakeholders, including the USDA and Congress, to inspire the systems changes that are needed to bring the diet-related chronic diseases epidemic under control across the life course keeping equity and social justice in mind."

For more information about Wholesome Wave, its Produce Prescription Model or to apply for consideration to participate in this test program, please visit www.wholesomewave.org.

About Wholesome Wave

Wholesome Wave is a national nonprofit that believes that solving hunger is not just about providing more food, but instead it’s about providing the right food so those in need can lead a healthy life. The organization’s efforts are driven by the mission of democratizing nutrition by empowering underserved consumers to make healthier food choices by increasing affordable access to fruits and vegetables. Wholesome Wave addresses complex problems with innovative and effective solutions, including the development of innovative payment technologies, programs such as “Wholesome Rx” (doctors writing prescriptions for produce) and “SNAP Doubling” (2 for 1 produce at grocery stores and farmers markets). Founded in 2007 by James Beard Award-winning Chef Michel Nischan and former U.S. Undersecretary of Agriculture Gus Schumacher, the organization is based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. For more information, visit www.wholesomewave.org.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better - anytime and anywhere - in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, approximately 220 million customers and members visit approximately 10,500 stores and clubs under 48 banners in 24 countries and eCommerce websites. With fiscal year 2021 revenue of $559 billion, Walmart employs 2.2 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at twitter.com/walmart.