Eli Lilly is marking World Alzheimer’s Day with a partnership to distribute 13,500 boxes of brain-healthy fresh produce and educational materials to underserved senior populations across the U.S.
Lilly, which sells the Alzheimer’s disease medicine Kisunla, has partnered with Planet Harvest and Thrive Global on the initiative. Together, the partners are shipping boxes containing 12 to 15 pounds of fruits and vegetables, chosen for their links to healthy aging and cognitive wellness, and a pouch of salmon to people. Recipients will also get recipes suggesting ways to quickly and easily turn the produce into meals.
The boxes will go to “underserved senior populations and communities in 10 U.S. markets where food insecurity and social isolation remain a significant challenge,” Jennifer Oleksiw, global chief customer officer at Lilly, told Fierce.
Each box contains a QR code linking to Lilly’s Brain Health Matters website, which features information about the stages, signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Lilly will assess the impact of the initiative by confirming that the boxes reach their intended recipients and by looking at how many people scan the QR code to visit its website.
“We will be monitoring, ‘What type of information are they engaging with? What do they need to see more of? What did they need to see less of?’” Oleksiw said. Lilly will use the data to inform its actions to expand the online services that it provides to meet patients’ needs.
The use of produce boxes as a vehicle for brain health education reflects evidence that lifestyle changes could delay or prevent many cases of dementia, including Alzheimer’s. A 2024 study found that about 45% of dementia cases could be prevented by managing 14 risk factors, including hypertension, obesity, high LDL cholesterol and diabetes.
Lilly leveraged existing partnerships to deliver the produce and brain-health messaging. The drugmaker previously partnered with Thrive to add behavior change tools and resources to its direct-to-consumer platform, LillyDirect. Over the past year, Lilly and Thrive have worked with food supply chain company Planet Harvest to deliver boxes in states including Arkansas and Florida.
The partners helped Lilly to identify locations with the biggest need for its brain-health boxes. With the initiative underway, Lilly is now looking to expand the scheme to reach more people across the U.S.
“The goal is that we would do this consistently,” Oleksiw said. “This will not be a one-and-done opportunity, but instead something that we expect to expand on and scale as we move forward.”