Charitable food as prevention: Food bank leadership perspectives on food banks as agents in population health

Food banks (FBs) and their partner agencies play important food access roles in nearly every US community. While FB missions have historically emphasized hunger alleviation, stakeholders are increasingly expressing interest in leveraging these community assets to promote health. We conducted semi-structured interviews with US FB executives (n = 30) to explore their perspectives on the evolving role of FBs in community health, and how these perspectives relate to organizational efforts to distribute healthier foods, including fruits and vegetables (F&V). All but one executive reported actively working to increase F&V distribution; however, fewer executives had implemented nutrition policies. Executives reporting higher F&V distribution more often described health as central to their organization’s mission and perceived charitable food program clients as being at high risk for chronic disease. FB leadership recognition of health and hunger as interrelated community issues may have direct implications for FB strategic planning, distribution practices, and policies related to F&V.