Healthy Options & Food Security| Believe in Better

Healthy Options and Food Security

UC Davis Executive Chef Santana Diaz at a local farm

From having access to affordable fresh fruits and vegetables to supporting the region’s farmers, UC Davis Health is committed to farm-to-fork initiatives that improve food security and access to healthy, locally sourced options.

Some examples of our efforts:

employees with fresh produce
Healthy Options, Food Literacy

Spotlight: ‘Farm to hospital’

UC Davis Health strives to become a model for other health care facilities. The medical center is home to one of Sacramento’s largest production kitchens and creator of 6,500 meals a day. In 2017, we began locally sourcing whole-food and plant-based ingredients. The goal: To source the majority of food within a 250-mile radius of the hospital. 

child with apple
Food Literacy

Spotlight: Supporting food literacy education

Our chefs team up with the Food Literacy Center to teach cooking and nutrition in low-income schools, among kids who are at highest risk for diet-related diseases like Type 2 diabetes.

#
Farmworker Health

Spotlight: Programs for ag workers

UC Davis Health and UC Davis are home to or involved in a number of projects supporting farmworker health. Some examples:

  • Activate, a demonstration project using digital health to improve well-being of underserved and rural communities, in partnership with community health centers
  • MOVE IT UP, a project to increase access to COVID vaccines, testing and treatment for historically underserved communities, with a focus on Latinos and Latino farmworkers
  • The Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety, founded to improve health and safety of agricultural workers through research, training, and outreach
food bank operations
Food Security

Spotlight: Supporting food banks

UC Davis Health partners with local organizations to support grocery programs throughout our community. The health system has provided support for the River City Food Bank and several other local community-based organizations, assisting hundreds of families.

For example, River City Food Bank’s emergency food distributions located in Midtown and Arden provided nearly 3.5 million pounds of healthy, culturally meaningful food to an average of 2,000 low-income households per week in 2024. The Arden location, which is supported by UC Davis Health, served an average of 1,100 households per week.

More Believe in Better Highlights

Some recent examples of our ongoing efforts to advance health for all.

Supplier Expo prioritizes local investments, hiring

Representatives from over 230 local businesses attended the UC Davis Supplier Expo this week to share information about their companies with more than two dozen UC Davis and UC Davis Health departments.

Read More

UC Davis celebrates future health care leaders

The UC Davis School of Medicine conferred 119 Doctor of Medicine degrees during commencement at the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for Performing Arts.

Read More

DNP-FNP Academic Symposium marks milestone for UC Davis nursing school

Students mark the culmination of three years and key milestone in their journey to become advanced practice providers.

Read More

New internship helps neurodivergent individuals work toward jobs in medical coding

Intern Sean Mini is thriving in a new paid medical coding internship specifically designed for neurodivergent individuals.

Read More
See More Highlights