Food insecurity, defined by the USDA Economic Research Service as the disruption of food intake or eating patterns because of lack of money and other resources, is increasingly recognized as a substantial threat to the health and well-being of patients with or without chronic conditions. Embedded within a regionally-integrated healthcare system, the University Hospitals Food for Life Market (FFLM) is a program designed to both provide food and leverage dietitians'; expertise to ensure that the food provided meets patients' medical needs.

In this session, leaders from FFLM present a series of case studies illustrating the influence of food insecurity on nutrition needs and goals for patients representing a variety of clinical scenarios; outline strategies to address these needs that are amenable to implementation in healthcare settings; and detail key measures that speak to dietitians' effectiveness in identifying and addressing food-insecure patients' nutrition and related resource and service needs.