Stewart: New Jersey Cannot Prescribe Better Health Without Making Healthy Food Accessible

OPINION

We tell people with diabetes to watch their blood sugar. We tell people with hypertension to reduce their sodium. We tell families to eat more fruits and vegetables to prevent chronic disease.

But what happens when the food we recommend is beyond their budget or unavailable in their neighborhood?

That is why New Jersey should pass A4799, which I introduced with Assemblyman Al Abdelaziz and Assemblywoman Shama Haider, alongside Senators Angela McKnight and Britnee Timberlake. The bill would expand the state’s Healthy Corner Store Program to include retail pharmacies alongside local food retailers, help neighborhood retailers stock nutritious foods, and establish a pathway for NJ FamilyCare enrollees diagnosed with diet-related illnesses to fill food prescriptions at pharmacies and food retailers.

This is not about replacing medicine with groceries. It is about recognizing that nutritious food is an important part of managing chronic disease and making it easier for people to follow their doctors’ advice.

Paterson shows why action is needed

The need is visible in our own community. CUMAC, a Paterson-based nonprofit serving families throughout Passaic County, served 82,000 people and distributed 3.2 million pounds of food in 2025. As demand for food assistance continues to grow, LD-35 helped secure $250,000 in state budget funding for CUMAC to help sustain its work.

We also helped secure $50,000 for A Better Market, a Paterson neighborhood business founded by lifelong resident Shana Manradge to make fresh, affordable, locally sourced food more accessible.

These investments address different parts of the problem. CUMAC helps families facing immediate food insecurity; A Better Market gives residents another place to buy nutritious groceries close to home. But emergency food assistance and neighborhood retail cannot solve the problem alone. We need a broader strategy that connects food access with health care.

Chronic disease carries a staggering cost

In 2025, approximately 32% of New Jersey adults had hypertension, 12% had diabetes, and 28% had obesity, according to Trust for America’s Health. These conditions can require years of medication and medical care, and can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney damage, and hospitalization.

A New Jersey Department of Health analysis of 2022 hospital data identified more than 17,000 potentially preventable diabetes-related hospital admissions, with estimated hospital costs of approximately $238 million. It also estimated $62 million in costs associated with more than 4,500 potentially preventable hypertension-related hospitalizations. Meanwhile, approximately 350,000 New Jersey households experienced food insecurity on average from 2022 through 2024.

Rather than continuing to spend millions of dollars treating diet-related illnesses after they develop, New Jersey should take an innovative approach by making nutritious food more accessible and affordable. A relatively modest investment in healthy food access today could help reduce costly hospitalizations, lower long-term health care expenditures, and ease the burden on our health care system. By helping people prevent chronic disease before it requires medical or pharmaceutical intervention, we can improve health outcomes while using public resources more efficiently.

Recent initiatives show what is possible

Health care providers and community organizations are already responding to this connection.

In September 2026, RWJBarnabas Health opened its sixth Food Farmacy at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch. The program combines nutritious food with individualized counseling from registered dietitians, offering fresh New Jersey-grown produce, culturally relevant foods, and education on managing diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. Its partnership with Fulfill connects clinical care with community food resources. These programs take different approaches, but their shared lesson is clear: addressing health requires looking beyond the doctor’s office.

What A4799 would do

A4799 would expand New Jersey’s existing Healthy Corner Store Program rather than create an entirely separate food distribution system. It would expand participation to retail pharmacies alongside small food retailers in communities and support the infrastructure needed to stock nutritious foods. That includes assistance for equipment such as refrigeration, shelving, and storage, as well as support for transportation and other needs related to stocking and distributing healthy foods. The bill also encourages coordination among health care providers, pharmacies, community organizations, state agencies, and local food suppliers.

Furthermore, it provides a pathway for NJ FamilyCare enrollees with diet-related illnesses to fill food prescriptions at participating pharmacies and food retailers.

Make access work at the local level

State legislation is one part of the solution. Counties, municipalities, and school districts should also explore partnerships with CUMAC, A Better Market, and other qualified providers to make healthy food more accessible and affordable.

Transportation is another barrier. In August, Governor Sherrill signed my legislation into law that would provide more funding towards low-cost on-demand microtransit programs operated by local government in order to help seniors, people with disabilities, and residents without reliable transportation reach grocery stores, food pantries, farmers markets, and health appointments.

Health begins before a patient enters the hospital

CUMAC demonstrates the urgent need for food assistance. A Better Market shows how neighborhood businesses can expand access to affordable groceries, while RWJBarnabas Health’s Food Farmacy connects nutrition with clinical care.

A4799 would connect existing food retailers and pharmacies with healthy food options while encouraging more pharmacies to offer nutritious foods, giving residents more places in their own neighborhoods to find healthier choices.

Just as importantly, the bill would expand access by allowing NJ Family Care enrollees to receive food prescription from their health care provider which can be filled at a local pharmacy or food retailer. Medication and clinical care will always play an important role, but we must also recognize that making nutritious food both accessible and affordable can help people manage chronic conditions, prevent diet-related illnesses, and reduce the burden on our health care system.

Assemblyman Kenyatta Stewart represents the 35th Legislative District and serves as Corporation Counsel for the City of Newark.