University of New England receives $1.1 million USDA grant to improve nutrition security in rural Maine communities

The University of New England has been awarded nearly $1.1 million in federal research grant funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to address nutrition security in rural, underserved populations. 

The three-year, $1,092,498 grant to UNE’s Center for Excellence in Public Health (CEPH) from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) will focus on improving dietary habits by pairing primary-care-based healthy food prescriptions with supermarket shelf-tag labeling systems, guiding healthier food choices at the point of purchase.

Michele Polacsek, Ph.D., M.P.H., CEPH director and professor of public health at UNE, will serve as principal investigator and oversee the project, titled “Superstars: Supermarket Support For A Primary Care Healthy Food Prescription.” Sub-awardees on the grant include the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (Harvard Chan School), Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Harvard Medical School, MaineHealth, and Massachusetts General Hospital.

With obesity and diet-related chronic diseases on the rise, especially in low-income and rural communities, the project looks to improve nutrition security by leveraging existing resources in local supermarkets, Polacsek said.

Using a food prescription model, patients will receive $40 monthly incentives to purchase foods rated 2- or 3-stars by the Guiding Stars nutrition labeling system at Hannaford supermarkets. These stars indicate healthier options, and the program encourages purchasing of less processed, nutrient-rich foods.

In collaboration with MaineHealth and the Harvard Chan School, the project will recruit patients from five midcoast Maine primary care practices and evaluate the prescription program’s impact on participants' food security, diet quality, and health outcomes. Additional data will be collected on supermarket purchases through loyalty programs, tracking changes in buying habits over time, Polacsek said.

“This is an exciting opportunity to finally bring a healthy food prescription program to life after many years of planning,” Polacsek said. “We’ve formed strong partnerships to explore how small financial incentives and guidance at the supermarket can make a real difference. The hope is that people will not only try healthier foods but will develop lasting habits that improve their overall diet and health.”

The research will also contribute to broader efforts to engage health systems and communities in evidence-based strategies to improve population health, potentially transforming how food prescription programs are implemented nationally, Polacsek said. 

The research grant is supported by NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) and its Diet, Nutrition, Prevention of Chronic Diseases program, which focuses on preventing chronic diseases through equitable, culturally relevant, and data-driven interventions.