Food as Medicine x AI: Two Pioneering Founders on the Future of Personalized Nutrition

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Mar 13, 2026

Victor Penev, founder of Edamam, organizes food and nutrition data to power AI-driven meal planning. Richard Bennett, CEO of Epicured, builds medically tailored meal programs tied to reimbursement. They discuss food as a durable force in healthcare. Topics include AI-powered personalized nutrition, reimbursable meal programs, culturally relevant medically tailored meals, and data-driven virtual nutrition tools.

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INSIGHT

Food And Healthcare Diverged After Industrialization

Food and healthcare evolved separately after industrialization, creating a system that prioritized cheap calories over nutrition and contributed to chronic disease.
Richard Bennett explains Epicured began in 2006 and formalized in 2016 to reconnect culinary, clinical, and supply chain expertise to address that gap.

INSIGHT

Reimbursement Is The Game Changer

Reimbursement is a pivotal structural change making food-as-medicine scalable and fundable within healthcare.
Richard Bennett notes Epicured signed its first reimbursable contract in Dec 2023 and multiple Medicaid/PACE contracts followed.

ADVICE

Use Meals As Trust Building Touchpoints

Use food deliveries as 21 weekly touchpoints to build trust and a broader care relationship.
Richard Bennett describes using meal delivery plus RD check-ins and concierge calls to surface transportation, housing, and other SDOH needs.

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Food as medicine is having a moment, but for leaders like Richard Bennett of Epicured and Victor Penev of Edamam, this is not a passing trend. It is the long-building future of healthcare.

In this special highlight episode of StartUp Health NOW, Unity Stoakes brings together two conversations from members of the StartUp Health community on the growing role of nutrition in prevention, chronic disease management, and whole-person care.

First, Richard Bennett, CEO & Co-founder of Epicured, joins Logan Plaster to talk about why food is emerging as a powerful front door to trust, engagement, and better outcomes. He shares how Epicured is helping bridge healthcare and nutrition, why reimbursement is a game changer, and how culturally relevant meals can support more human-centered care.

Then, Unity sits down with Victor Penev, CEO & Founder of Edamam, to explore how AI and food data are reshaping what personalized nutrition can look like. From meal-planning agents to virtual nutrition support, Victor explains why this moment feels like an inflection point for the Food as Medicine movement, and why data remains the foundation for what comes next.

Together, these conversations highlight a major shift in healthcare: food is no longer peripheral to care. It is increasingly central to prevention, treatment, and the future of personalized health.

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