4th Annual Florida Food is Medicine Symposium 2026

 8:00 am 

Welcome! Doors open, Registration, Materials & Handouts.

8:00 am - 8:45 am 

BREAKFAST SPONSOR: Sifter Solutions 

Network and enjoy healthy breakfast and  fresh coffee or tea.

Get the Healthy Food Rx Shopping Companion for Florida Food is Medicine programs and clients, thanks to Sponsor Sifter Solutions. 

@ https://healthyfoodrx.sifter.shop/

8:30 am - 8:45 am   

Welcome from  Maura Plante, FL Health & Nutrition Coalition 

Dr. Jay Groves, 4 Roots Farm & Culinary Health Institute

Michael Farver, CEO, South Florida Hunger Coalition 

8:45 am - 9:00 am

"What is Your Why?" by Kim Saiswick, SFHC Board Chair

Your Q's cards for A's from all our speakers 

9:00 am - 9:20 am   

Welcome by National Leadership in Health 

Speaker to be announced.

9:20 am - 10:00 am   

Florida Keynote: local best in FIM

10:00 am - 10:30 am   

Keynote:  global best in FIM     

10:30 am - 10:45 am   

Best in the Nation Think Tank speaker hosts the Panel of Co-Chairs from 6   Regional Networks of Excellence. 

10:45 am - 11:30 am   

Best in the Nation Think Tank speaker hosts the Panel of Co-Chairs from 6   Regional Networks of Excellence. 

10:45  am -11:30 am

Scott Darius, Florida Voices for Health is back as Host by popular demand. 

Meet Advocates, Activists and Lobbyists with updates on the FIM funding landscape now at the DC, National, Florida and County levels.

11:30 am -11:45 am Networking Break

11:45 am -12:15 pm   

Panel hosted by AD leading her crack team from Buffalo, NY leaders in Farms to FiM best-in-class models from the original ground-layers 30 years ago until today

12:15 pm-12:35 pm

Warm conversation about how some  healing is best found in kitchens 

12:35 pm - 1:30 pm  

You're invited to a sponsored healthy lunch by FareRx. 

SPONSOR: FareRx Founder Mike Canji speaks

1: 00 pm - 3:30 pm

Dr. Deborah Kennedy hosts  the Culinary Health Masterclass in a Teaching Kitchen . This 2-hour masterclass will explore a Build-A-Bowl food demo in the new culinary kitchen. Enjoy the tasting menu and cultural nuances. This class is co-led by HEBNI cultural heritage RDN's and 4Roots Farms with fresh picked herbs, greens or veggies. 

Max 25Tickets |  Fee: $25  | Pre-registration required.

1: 30 pm - 2:30 pm

Panel led by __ with a dynamic & lively panel discussion meeting the exciting new pack of All Stars in FIM you want to know. 

Panelists: 

1. West Florida 
2. Rural Florida 
3. Oldest PRx in Florida 
4. Surprise 

1: 30 pm - 2:30 pm

Behavioral Health Panel led by Ellen Brown, Healthcare Actually Founder, with a dynamic & lively panel discussion packed with intervention layers empowering lifestyle change proven to help our clients as they reverse their own chronic conditions and de-risk their own diet-related diseases. 

Panelists: 

1. Nutrition Educator
2. Body Systems
3. Participatory Care - Lived Experience Co-Design
4. Evaluation and Bio-trackers 

2: 30 pm - 3:30 pm

Bleeding Edge science using AI, national funding and research underway in the field of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida /IFAS 

3:30 pm  -3:45 pm Networking Break

3:30 pm - 3:45 pm

Tour a Mobile Farmer market, Mobile Teaching Kitchen, Veggie Vans, and Pleasantville Mobile Produce Prescriptions Clinic Bus  

3:45 pm - 4:15 pm

Co-Hosts Pastor Gerard Duncan + Nichole Dube lead vibrant discussion on what it takes to move farmers markets and produce prescriptions into the community where they are at. 

4:15 pm - 4:55 pm

Panel led by Ellen Brown, Healthcare Actually Founder, with a dynamic & lively panel discussion packed with your INNOVATIVE food solutions for FIM program providers, big wins, and exciting new turns up ahead.

Panelists: 

1. Health Friendly, Sifter - Andrew Parkinson, CEO
2. Morrisey Market - Emily Roach, VP
3. Big Green - Madeleine Nelson, President 

4:55 pm

Florida House Representative Debra Tendrich, also Co-Founder of the Florida Health & Nutrition Coalition gives the closing remarks and lays out what's ahead for Food is Medicine in the Florida Legislature. 

5:30- 6:30 pm

Tour the Farm, Refreshing Mocktails and Experience Hosted by Brie Cox, Cox Consulting, Restaurant owner, FIM Afficionado from Kentucky

6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Come into the Barn, Taste a fresh picked at the farm to table dinner, enjoy the documentary movie Symphony of Soil, Coffee and Dessert. 

Here is the link to register for the zoom as Virtual Tickets below