TAMPA, Fla. — Getting a prescription from your doctor typically means a trip to the drugstore, but through Feeding Tampa Bay's health provider partners, you can get a prescription for healthy foods. 

What You Need To Know

  • A new food pharmacy is open at University Mall in Tampa inside of WellBuilt Bikes.

  • It aims to help those struggling with food insecurity or diet-related diseases

  • The food pharmacy isn't only fruits and vegetables. It has proteins, grains, spices and more

A new food pharmacy is open at the University Mall in Tampa inside of WellBuilt Bikes.

Located at the front of the store, CEO Jon Dengler said it’s a place where those who are struggling with food insecurity or diet-related diseases can get healthy foods. 

“You’re dealing with a lot of renal issues, diabetes, heart conditions, and so this is a way to make sure that they have healthy foods so they can use that as medication for their condition,” he said. 

Matt Spence, the chief strategy officer for Feeding Tampa Bay, said through health care providers like Tampa Family Health, you can get a prescription to gain access to food pharmacies, not just at WellBuilt Bikes but across Tampa Bay. 

“We want people who struggle financially to know that they’re not confined to the half-rotten banana at the corner store in order to get healthy fruits and vegetables,” he said. 

The food pharmacy isn’t just about fruits and vegetables. It has proteins, grains, spices and more. 

“We want to make transportation that’s available to everyone, food that is available to everyone, health that’s available to everyone, and we’re not going to stop working until we live in a city that works for everyone,” Dengler said. 

Spence said there are plans for more food pharmacies, as well as chef-prepared medically-tailored meals to take home.