MyFoodRx: Design of a Personalized Food-as-Medicine Application to Promote Food Security and Chronic Disease Management

Food insecurity (FI) is a persistent public health issue in the United States, disproportionately affecting racially and ethnically marginalized populations while also contributing to a heightened risk for chronic health conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and mental health disorders. Food-as-Medicine initiatives, including Food Prescription (FoodRx) programs, have emerged as promising interventions that connect individuals experiencing FI with access to nutritious foods and related resources. However, the conventional “one-size-fits-all” design of many FoodRx programs limits effectiveness by failing to consider individual-level factors such as demographics, health status, nutritional knowledge, cultural food practices, and lifestyle behaviors. This manuscript introduces My FoodRx, an innovative, personalized mobile Health application designed to enhance traditional FoodRx approaches by providing customized nutrition and educational support to food-insecure adults at risk for chronic diseases. The platform integrates real-time food pantry data with user health profiles to generate personalized dietary recommendations, including curated recipes and adaptive education. With an architecture that is modular, cloud-connected with secure backend infrastructure, and HIPAA-compliant data management, My FoodRx leverages a client-server framework to support scalability and future integration with broader healthcare and community systems. By aligning digital health technology with the promotion of food security and chronic disease management, My FoodRx offers a novel, application for delivering personalized dietary recommendations for improved health outcomes.