International Fresh Produce Association CEO Cathy Burns Takes the Stage to Discuss Food as Medicine and Produce Prescriptions
WASHINGTON, DC - Earlier this week, our industry’s own Cathy Burns took the stage at the Agri-Pulse 2023 Food & Ag Policy Summit. The Chief Executive Officer of the International Fresh Produce Association discussed food as medicine and produce prescriptions at the event.
“Eighty percent of healthcare dollars in this country are allocated to preventable chronic disease, yet nine out of 10 Americans don’t meet the government’s own recommendations for fruit and vegetable consumption,” said Burns. “There is a clear and significant role for food interventions in the healthcare system. The time to act is now because if we don’t change the trajectory of how this next generation eats, they will be the first generation that doesn’t live as long as its parents.”
According to a press release, produce prescriptions have the possibility to impact a significant percent of the population, as 150 million Americans are covered by federal healthcare.
“You go to the doctor, you get a diagnosis, and they give you a prescription for fruits and vegetables to treat your condition. Imagine a world where your diagnosis is being treated by what’s on your plate, not by what’s in a pill,” said Burns. “This could be transformational for the trajectory of human health in this country.”
Two practitioners who are making produce prescriptions a reality joined Burns on the panel. Steve Brazeel, the Founder of SunTerra products and a grower is working with Medi-Cal to fill and deliver produce prescriptions. Josh Trautwein, the Co-Founder and CEO of About Fresh, works with healthcare teams to enable patients to buy fresh produce in grocery stores. The panelists discussed how to scale the already existing programs to reach more patients in need.
Burns went on to note that California, North Carolina, Oregon, and Massachusetts all have existing produce prescription programs. She called on Congress, state governments, and the private sector to invest in produce prescriptions.
For more from Burns herself, you can find the press release here.
Stay tuned as we continue to report on the industry.
