Representative Maxine Dexter on Nutrition, Access, and Food as Medicine

Speaking at the Tufts Food is Medicine Capitol Hill Luncheon: “Eating Ourselves Sick – Ultraprocessed Foods & Policy,” Representative Maxine Dexter (OR-03) — a pulmonary and critical care physician — shared how her medical background shapes her work on nutrition and public health policy.

She highlighted a reality she sees daily in clinical care:

• Obesity, diabetes, and heart disease dominate hospital admissions

• Poor nutrition drives over $1 trillion in health care costs

• Low-income communities bear the greatest burden

Dexter outlined solutions to improve food access:

• Address food deserts through urban farms, subsidized grocery stores, and farmers markets

• Make produce affordable with SNAP incentives and Double Up Food Bucks

• Invest in local food systems that connect communities to what they grow

• Integrate and value nutrition professionals in hospitals and clinics

On ultraprocessed foods, she stressed the need to realign policy:

• Stop subsidizing commodity crops that fuel ultraprocessed products

• Incentivize fresh, nutritious food production

• Support small and medium-scale fruit and vegetable farmers

Her message was clear: food as medicine requires fair compensation for farmers and affordable access for communities — linking agriculture, policy, and nutrition to improve health outcomes.