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Produce Prescriptions and Veggie Meter Scores for College Food Security

NCT07511699 · Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 20

Last updated 2026-05-07

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The goal of this pilot intervention study is to learn if providing weekly produce boxes helps college students who struggle to afford healthy food. It will also test if this program is practical to run on a college campus. The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Does receiving free produce boxes increase students' fruit and vegetable intake?
* Does the program improve students' food security and nutrient levels in the skin? Researchers will measure skin carotenoids (a marker of healthy eating) using a non-invasive finger scan called a Veggie Meter to see if the produce boxes improve nutrition biomarkers.

Participants will:

* Receive one free box of fresh fruits and vegetables plus printed nutrition education materials every week for 8 weeks.
* Visit the campus site at the start, week 4 and end of the study \[week 8\] for a finger scan, measure their weight and to complete surveys.
* Provide feedback on their experience with the produce boxes and their food access.

Conditions

  • Food Insecurity
  • Carotenoid Status
  • Produce Prescription

Interventions

OTHER

Produce boxes

The Produce Prescription Program provides a weekly, box of fresh produce specifically curated for high carotenoid content (e.g., leafy greens, carrots, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes). Each box is accompanied by nutrition education materials, including seasonal recipes, storage tips, and preparation guides designed to increase participant food agency and cooking confidence. This intervention is distinguished by its focus on objective nutritional biomarkers; rather than relying solely on self-reported intake, the study utilizes reflection spectroscopy (Veggie Meter) to track changes in skin carotenoid levels at baseline (Week 0), midpoint (Week 4), and completion (Week 8). The contents of the boxes are seasonally dependent to ensure high nutrient density and to simulate a sustainable, real-world campus food-as-medicine model.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Joachim D. Sackey, PhD · Rutgers Health, Rutgers University

Study Design

Allocation
NA
Purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE
Model
SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-09-30
Primary Completion
2026-12-31
Completion
2026-12-31

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07511699 on ClinicalTrials.gov