The Food, Nutrition & Health Investor Coalition (FNHIC) was established to convene a syndicate of investment companies around shared interest in the connection between food technology and human health. In connection with the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, and established by investors for investors, the FHNIC connects agtech, foodtech, healthcare, biotech, pharma, and generalist firms and executives for meaningful exchange.
We see this as just the start of a long-term, high-potential journey to realize the benefits of greater exchange between food and health innovation. If you are interested in participating, contact us below.
"With over 34 million Americans experiencing food insecurity and 117 million suffering from diet related disease, the U.S. is confronting a ballooning hunger and nutrition crisis. The good news is we know what it takes to successfully respond: multisector financial investments in scalable food and agtech businesses to create a sustainable; equitable food system that improves people’s health outcomes; respects the planet; and ensures geography and income are never barriers to nutritious, affordable food."
It is well established that food insecurity amplifies chronic disease and drives associated healthcare spending and other negative economic impacts. The 34 million people living in food-insecure US households (and many more with limited access to affordable nutrition) are substantially more likely to develop heart disease, diabetes, and other health conditions – adding more than $50 billion in annual cost to our healthcare system.
And now global developments – namely, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine – have disproportionately impacted the food insecure. Supply shocks have driven food prices higher. The pandemic has reinforced the linkage between nutrition and health, with high comorbidity rates between COVID and obesity, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. To address these developments, we must embrace innovation that puts deflationary pressure on food prices to address hunger and targets nutrition needs for high-risk individuals.
Fortunately, there is an incredible amount of emerging technological innovation underway that leverages the power of affordable and nutritious food to remediate hunger and improve human health. We are highlighting this technology and supporting it financially via this coalition.
"Poor nutrition accounts for more than $50 billion in U.S. health care costs each year. There is tremendous opportunity for the food system to help drive down costs, improve patient lives, and complement existing healthcare systems – essentially forming a bridge between disease care and health care."
