Feeding Change is a team of food-system experts within the Milken Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank, who activate social and financial capital, engage policymakers and industry leaders, and convene key stakeholders to catalyze a more nutritious, sustainable, resilient, and equitable food system. Sitting at the intersection of finance and health, Feeding Change is uniquely positioned within the Milken Institute to provide expertise on how to leverage the Farm Bill to drive food systems transformation and achieve better health outcomes. Improving health outcomes will help reduce the prevalence and severity of chronic health conditions, which drive the greatest portion of healthcare costs.
Feeding Change worked with key stakeholders to inform the policy priorities in this document. These stakeholders include members from the Feeding Change Food Is Medicine (FIM) Task Force (an advisory group of nonprofit and academic FIM experts) and a Business Council of food systems leaders. These members represent over 50 companies and organizations across the insurance, health system, food retail, academic, nonprofit, technology, investment, agriculture, and food processing and manufacturing sectors. View a full list of FIM Task Force members and advisors.
Senior Director, Feeding Change, Milken Institute Health
Holly Freishtat is the senior director of Feeding Change at the Milken Institute. She is an experienced director, transformative leader, and strategist with a 20-year track record developing and implementing food system policies and programs.
Athena Rae Roesler is a director on the Public Health team at Milken Institute Health, where she leads a portfolio of work focused on prevention and chronic disease.
Food and nutrition insecurity is a health issue far too big to ignore. Diet-related diseases are the leading cause of death in the US for adults. When people and communities lack access to affordable, healthy food, we see the impact in our...
In September 2024, the Milken Institute released Insights on Investments in Food Systems Transformation: Pathways to COP30, which explored the state of food systems investing, the risks and benefits, and the challenges and opportunities.
With chronic diseases on the rise and millions struggling with food insecurity, access to fresh, nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables has become more critical than ever. The "Food is Health" movement is reshaping how we think about health...
From the COVID-19 pandemic to geopolitical conflicts, and catastrophic steering failures on cargo ships, as reported by NPR and The New York Times, the world has seen how a weak link in a supply chain can have far-reaching consequences for...
Whether evaluating access to health care, transportation, or healthy foods, there is a disproportionate impact in underserved communities. For example, nearly 24 million people live in food deserts in the US, low-income communities located...
Diet-related chronic disease continues to rise throughout the US population and, with it, the cost of health care. Despite record spending, the US experiences the lowest life expectancy among high-income countries and demonstrates declining...
A troubling reality looms large over the global food system: It is rigged in favor of wealthy nations. With the world’s population projected to reach 10 billion by 2050, the inequalities ingrained in food production, distribution, and...
Investing in the intersection of food and healthcare is critical to achieving nutrition equity. Feeding Change submitted a letter informed by the Food Is Medicine Task Force that provides comments to inform the national strategy for the...
Senior Director, Feeding Change, Milken Institute Health
Holly Freishtat is the senior director of Feeding Change at the Milken Institute. She is an experienced director, transformative leader, and strategist with a 20-year track record developing and implementing food system policies and programs.
Explore Inventory The COVID-19 pandemic continues to highlight the importance of the food system: all the activities, resources, and relationships that go into producing, distributing, and consuming food. Images of emptying grocery shelves...