Project Grant R01DK146103

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases awarded Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Inc. $827,060 on August 21, 2026, under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847) to evaluate California's Medicaid medically tailored grocery program for adults with type 2 diabetes.

The project will conduct a rigorous randomized encouragement design study enrolling 600 adults with type 2 diabetes who are Medicaid participants and regular customers at Albertsons-owned stores across three California counties. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive encouragement to apply for the medically tailored grocery program, which provides $35–$50 in groceries (7–10 meals) weekly, or to a control group receiving nutrition education. At baseline and six-month follow-up, all participants will complete three 24-hour dietary recalls to measure Healthy Eating Index scores and assess changes in dietary quality and metabolic health. After the six-month follow-up, the control group will also be invited to participate in the program. The research will use instrumental variable analyses to determine whether the medically tailored grocery program improves dietary quality and household grocery purchasing patterns.

The award period runs through June 30, 2031, with place of performance in Boston, Massachusetts. Albertsons Companies provides program implementation and food delivery as a partner organization.