‘Wellness as an economic asset,’ Tufts University on creating a food system for better health, nutrition

“We are not valuing healthy as an economic asset in this country. ... We have sick days missed at work. We have unpaid caregivers hamstrung by illness. We have to start evaluating wellness as an economic asset,” Stebbins said during a panel presentation in Chicago last week.  

Moving beyond silver bullets: ‘We need to start ... having different conversations’

Over the years, the food-as-medicine trend and movement​ gained steam as a possible solution to several negative US health metrics, bringing together CPG, retail, agriculture, non-profit, healthcare providers and insurance stakeholders.

Private research school Tufts University is at the forefront of this emerging field and trend, advocating for systemwide changes that can improve health outcomes of US consumers, Stebbins told FoodNavigator-USA. Tufts University launched its Food is Medicine Institute in 2023, designed to "bridge the gap between nutrition and the medical system," as FoodNavigator-USA reported​. 

“We need to start sitting in different places and having different conversations because I worry sometimes we [say,] ‘We are just going to make a better molecule.’ Continuing to make a better molecule or making AI somehow work harder is not going to solve this. It is a piece of it. ... We get infatuated that there is going to be a silver bullet. It is going fix things, and that is just not how change happens,” Stebbins explained.

While food-as-medicine programs typically focus on food prescriptions and healthy eating incentive programs, Stebbins — who has a background in economic development — also advocates for holistic food-system change that addresses larger societal issues to improve health outcomes and support healthy eating.

These system changes include designing homes and cities to improve access to healthy foods through projects like community gardens and indoor hydroponic walls for growing produce, she added.

“This is a much bigger societal systemic issue, and we have to think broadly about who needs to be having these conversations and because a lot of people have a lot of levers, and I think we are missing a lot of those people,” Stebbins said.

‘Sharing the mic’ between large food companies, startups

In her role at Tufts, Stebbins supports the university’s Food Nutrition & Innovation Council​, which includes a council of CPG companies, ingredient providers, retailers, healthcare providers, investors, non-profits and thought leaders who focus on creating partnerships and spurring food-system changes.

The goal of the council meetings is to provide a forum to brainstorm about a better food system, Stebbins explained. Some of the companies on the council are also competitors, including PepsiCo and Olipop.

“[Startups] can come and sit shoulder-to-shoulder, elbow-to-elbow with a Cargill or a PepsiCo as equals. I love sharing the mic. ... It is not like, ‘Oh, you paid more money, so you get the microphone.’ You do not,” she added.

GLP-1s: An “iPhone moment for food’

Large CPG companies also are grappling with the rise in popularity of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and WeGovy, which have been touted as a potential solution for the obesity epidemic in the US.

Some CPG companies already are leaning into the demand for GLP-1-related claims and benefits, releasing products that promote satiety or focus on nutrient density. Recently, Nestlé released​ its Vital Pursuit line of frozen meals, which the company claims supports weight management and serve as a GLP-1 companion.

The rise of GLP-1 drugs is serving as an “iPhone moment for food,” changing how consumers think about food and providing relief for those who suffer from food addictions, Stebbins explained. However, CPG brands still will need to develop innovative healthier products in formats familiar to consumers, Stebbins noted.

“We are all going to have to keep learning together on how to navigate this world. You are not going to put the genie back in the bottle. ... You are not going to eliminate candy and fast food. You have to figure out how [food] is going to evolve into something that works,” she added.