Feeding Change Mid-Year Update

Dear friends,

Although COVID-19 has kept us apart for much of the year, our Feeding Change team has not slowed its efforts to catalyze a more nutritious, equitable, and sustainable food system. In fact, we’ve been quite busy hosting conversations, identifying and highlighting game-changing innovations, launching a new Food Is Medicine Task Force, and announcing a multimillion-dollar AgriTech prize program. We so look forward to returning to in-person gatherings in the fall with the return of the Milken Institute Global Conference.

Here are some highlights from the past six months:

• Food Is Medicine Task Force: This new Task Force brings together industry leaders in health care, insurance, food retail, and technology to accelerate efforts to better integrate nutrition into health-care delivery. We convene regularly and are building the business case to support “food is medicine” initiatives.

• Milken-Motsepe Innovation Prize: We launched the Milken-Motsepe Innovation Prize program for technological solutions that accelerate progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals, focusing on Africa. The inaugural Milken-Motsepe Prize in AgriTech is a global competition for innovative solutions to increase economic value to farmers from seed to sale. Registration is free and open to anyone, with $2 million in prizes available.

• Financial Innovations Lab: The recent Lab on “Models for Financing a Sustainable Business Transition” engaged experts to map out challenges and opportunities of specific financing models. Looking across industries, including food, the Lab participants explored options to securitize a pool of developing climate technologies, discussed incentives around off-take agreements, and outlined ideal terms for co-investment opportunities. A report, including recommendations, will be released in mid-October.

• Invest & Innovate Series: This ongoing series brings together investors and entrepreneurs to help unlock capital so game-changing innovations may reach their full potential. One recent event focused on innovations in nutrition and health. The second, held in conjunction with the Asia Center, focused on sustainability and agriculture innovations.

• The Future of Health Summit: During the Milken Institute’s June Summit, four panels focused on our Feeding Change mission. In case you missed them, they can be viewed at the links below:

  • A Conversation with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Richard Besser - featuring Tom Vilsack, secretary, US Department of Agriculture; moderated by Richard Besser, president and CEO, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

  • A Post-Pandemic Restaurant Renaissance: Feeding Communities and Restoring Economies - featuring Tom Colicchio, chef and owner, Crafted Hospitality; Erika Polmar, co-founder and executive director, Independent Restaurant Coalition; and Andrew Zimmern, founder and CEO, Intuitive Content and Passport Hospitality; moderated by Allison Aubrey, food and health correspondent, NPR News

  • Transformed: Leadership Perspectives on an Evolving Food System - featuring Steve Cahillane, chairman and CEO, Kellogg Company; Hanneke Faber, global president, foods and refreshment, Unilever; Peter McGuinness, president and chief operating officer, Chobani; and Vivek Sankaran, president and CEO, Albertsons Companies; moderated by Carol Massar, anchor, Bloomberg Businessweek TV and Radio

  • Valuing Nutrition: Addressing a Hidden Epidemic - featuring Sylvia Rowe, president, SR strategy chair, National Academy of Sciences Food Forum; Daniel Salvadori, executive vice president, nutritional products, Abbott; Bridget Wojciak, director of nutrition and dietetics, Kroger; and Larry Wolk, chief medical officer, The Wonderful Company; moderated by Leana Wen, visiting professor of health policy and management, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, and contributing columnist, Washington Post

• Other Events: In addition to the convenings we’ve hosted, many others have also conducted meaningful gatherings and online conversations. I’ve had the pleasure of speaking and representing Feeding Change at the following events in recent weeks: The Credit Suisse Sustainability Summit, the Future Food-Tech Alternative Proteins Summit, Reference Capital’s Sustainability Series, and NationSwell’s Disrupting Food event.

While we’ve been honored to keep the conversation going virtually over the past six months, we are thrilled to return to gathering in person at the 24th annual Milken Institute Global Conference. Our flagship event will be held in Beverly Hills, October 17-20, where we will once again host our Food Leaders Retreat, bringing together top leaders across sectors to discuss the future of food and its potential to improve the health of both people and planet. Over the next few months, we will be finalizing our Global Conference agenda and announcing our Feeding Change Leadership Council.

And last, but perhaps most exciting for me, I’m thrilled to share that Elle Alexander, PhD, has joined the Feeding Change team. Her diverse experience in public health, the food industry, and with the National Academies of Sciences has already brought new dimensions to our work. If you are interested in connecting about our work, have questions, or simply want to share an idea, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Elle at [email protected], to me at [email protected], or to our team generally at [email protected].

Here’s to a brighter tomorrow!

Ryan D. Shadrick Wilson
Chair, Feeding Change
Milken Institute
[email protected]