Kroger Health, part of The Kroger Company, is partnering with Performance Kitchen to provide medically designed meals for people with chronic diseases.
This partnership marks the first time Kroger Health has offered registered dietitian-approved meals as a nutritional intervention for people with conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. It is an extension of the company’s existing food-as-medicine efforts.
Performance Kitchen’s team of chefs, physicians, and registered dietitians focus on providing nutritionally balanced meals using high-quality proteins, whole-food servings of vegetables, healthy fats, whole grains, and fiber while limiting sodium and added sugar. Meals are frozen, served once, and ready to heat. The company has been delivering meals to eligible health plan members since 2021.
The meals target diverse demographics with culturally relevant foods and feature options like Dijon Chicken with Cabbage, Moroccan-Style Chicken with Quinoa, Vegetarian Chickpea Curry and Salmon Pasta. Clinically tailored meals are created to meet the specific needs of individuals and may significantly improve a person’s overall health. Meals will be approved by the Performance Kitchen team as well as Kroger Health registered dietitians.
Medically designed meals “help us achieve our goal of making sure people get the food that helps them feel their best and improve their health,” Taylor Newman, director of nutrition at Kroger Health, said in a press release. “While meals are customized to an individual’s specific health condition, we are also proud to offer a variety of culturally diverse recipes and flavors to ensure everyone’s needs are met.”
In an announcement, Kroger cited an evidence review and national simulation study conducted by Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy that found such meals could help prevent 1.6 million hospitalizations and save payers $13.6 billion in one year after paying for the food. . The researchers found that over 10 years, $185.1 billion less could be spent on health care while avoiding nearly 18.3 million hospital admissions.
“We believe in empowering people with resources to help them make healthy choices that will deliver the best outcomes for them,” James Kirby, chief commercial officer at Kroger Health, said in a press release. “By improving choices and access, we help people improve their quality of life and prevent and manage disease.”
Kroger can connect meals to its other services such as virtual appointments with registered dietitians and access to healthy groceries. For its remote feeding offerings, Kroger currently accepts UnitedHealthcare, Ambetter and Anthem insurance in certain states and for certain employer groups, according to its website.
