Wendy Johnson

Food is Medicine

Allison Aubrey, Tom Crohan, Wendy Johnson, Jason Karp, Dariush Mozaffarian, Greg Barrett, Terry

Addressing the global obesity and diabetes pandemic, a panel of experts from Tufts, Nestlé, John Hancock, and Torbillon discussed the paradox of rising chronic disease rates amidst growing consumer interest in "clean food." Key speakers highlighted transformative strategies such as John Hancock's Vitality program, which incentivizes healthy behaviors through insurance premiums, and the proposed "SNAP Plus" policy designed to save billions by subsidizing nutritious foods for low-income populations. Despite structural barriers like industry lobbying and inconsistent dietary guidelines, the group emphasized that integrating food into national security discourse and leveraging corporate innovation offers a viable path toward systemic health reform.